


Crimson Twilight

by YaoiBunny8702



Series: Persona 5 AUs [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira is a vampire, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Background Relationships, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Chatlogs, Eventual Romance, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Minor Character Death, No Metaverse (Persona 5), One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot Twists, Slow Burn, Status Ailments, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2019-08-28 10:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 28,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16721700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaoiBunny8702/pseuds/YaoiBunny8702
Summary: Akira wasn't like all the others. Sent away to Tokyo on probation, Akira has to hide his secret. A secret that could cost him his own life; he isn't human.Of course, as with any secret, it will eventually come to light. That doesn't stop Akira from doing his damndest to hide it for as long as he can. All he has to do is just pretend to be your average socially-inept teenager that just so happens to have some bizarre habits.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm really glad to be posting again. I'm sorry for the long absence; I've just moved, and school topped off with the fact that I also suffer from depression makes it hard to get the motivation to actually get things done. But I've thought of a cool AU, so I've decided to go ahead and publish it.  
> If you were reading another work, 'In the Name of Justice', you've probably noticed it doesn't exist anymore. Unfortunately, I've decided to scrap it, as it didn't feel like an original enough idea, plus I didn't have any inspiration to continue it. I hope nobody is too upset by this.  
> Anyhow, I hope you all like this.  
> (I admit, I wish that I'd have thought of this one last month. It would have been perfect for Halloween!)

Akira stared down into the mug, absently watching the cream as it slowly dissolved into the steaming coffee.

"Hey, kid. Hurry up and eat before the curry gets cold." The teen startled, glancing up at Sojiro for a moment, then down at the plate before him. It didn't look at all appealing, but he nodded anyways and reached to pick up the spoon.

"Thanks for the meal." Then, he proceeded to force the rice down, not particularly fond of the sickening gurgle his stomach made in retaliation. Sojiro merely raised an eyebrow at him, but ultimately said nothing. Once Akira cleaned off his plate, and the other man was satisfied, Akira grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder as he all but bolted through the front door of the little coffee shop.

 

* * *

 

 

He squinted under the harsh glare of the sun, feeling his eyes burn under its intensity. It wasn't the _worst_ he'd faced, thankfully, and it looked as though it may rain later. Akira let out a sigh of relief at the thought.

 

* * *

 

 

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long at all. He'd nearly made it to the school entrance when, quite literally, the skies opened up, and the rain came pelting down. Akira had wanted nothing more than to stand in the street and bask in the feeling of the refreshing, cool droplets sliding down his face, but he knew he'd get chewed out later if he allowed his school bag to get soaked, so instead, he sighed and ducked under the awning of a store, hoping for the rain to let up long enough for him to make it to school.

It wasn't as if he cared much about his image. In fact, he'd been labelled as a delinquent _many_ times in the past. He just didn't want to have to deal with getting lectured again, especially seeing as today was his first day.

**_It was such a pain._ **

Akira cursed himself mentally for forgetting his umbrella.

Maybe... today wouldn't be _so_ horrible. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he'd be able to get through the day without _too_ many problems. He scoffed. ' _Unlikely_ '.

Akira sighed again, bracing himself for the long day ahead of him.


	2. The Strange Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During Akira's first day of school, he recognizes a certain blonde and recalls an odd event from earlier that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quickest update ever! \\( ^ w ^)/  
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm absolutely dreading tomorrow, because I have to have bloodwork done. OTL

"We have a new student who will be joining us today. He's just transferred into the city, so be sure to welcome him properly," the teacher (Ms. Kawakami, as she had introduced herself as) turned, gesturing to the dark-haired boy standing at the front of the class, "please introduce yourself."

The boy, looking a bit out of place, took a step forwards and raised a hand in a rather careless manner.

"...My name is Akira Kurusu." The boy spoke, voice soft, but neither loud nor too quiet. His head tilted upwards slightly, revealing a set of cold, steely gray eyes hiding behind a pair of thick-framed glasses.

"You can sit..." Ms. Kawakami started, eyes scanning the classroom, "over there, behind Takamaki-san." She pointed to an empty desk just behind an oddly familiar girl with blonde pigtails. Akira moved to sit down, pointedly ignoring the teacher huffing something along the lines of ' _why me_?' exasperatedly under her breath.

As he neared his desk, he chanced a glance at the blonde, and he suddenly remembered where he had seen the girl before...

 

* * *

 

 

That morning, while he'd been taking shelter from the rain, a girl in a white hoodie had joined him under the store's awning. She had pulled down her hood, letting long blonde pigtails fall out, coming to rest upon her shoulders. He'd found himself unable to keep from just taking a moment to stare, utterly captivated by just how  _blue_ the girl's eyes were.

Of course, she'd noticed, as she turned to Akira and spared him a brief smile before her attention was pulled elsewhere. A moment later, a white car pulled up in front of them. The driver's window rolled down, and a man with odd, curly hair leaned out, grinning at the girl.

"Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You're going to be late." The man offered.

"Sure, thank you." The girl had a strained smile painted on her lips, and Akira could sense a feeling of unease from her as she reluctantly stepped forward and climbed into the passenger seat. The smell of fear was practically  _radiating_ off the girl, yet she was was going anyways? The man then turned to Akira, as if just then noticing his presence.

"Do you need a lift too?" As if the idea of an  _adult male teacher_ inviting a female  _high school student_ into his car wasn't already creepy enough on its own, the girl's attitude only served to make the whole situation feel much more unsettling.

_Something was wrong with this scene._

Akira shook his head.

"No thanks." The man shrugged and moved to sit back in his seat.

"Suit yourself." And with that, the two strangers were gone, leaving the teen to mull over the exchange he'd just witnessed. There was just something about that man that made Akira's skin crawl. It wasn't as if he would've been able to even lay a  _finger_ on Akira, but he supposed there was just something about seeing and experiencing such a situation  _firsthand_ that would make even the most unwavering of people unnerved.

 

* * *

 

 

Akira walked past the girl to his desk, not missing how her calculating gaze followed him until he was out of her view. Akira flopped down into his seat, forcing himself not to let out an annoyed sigh.

"Sorry, but could those of you sitting by him please share your textbooks for today?" Ms. Kawakami's request was met with several poorly-concealed groans of disapproval. One girl rolled her eyes.

"Ugh. This sucks!" Akira slouched forward in his seat, propping his head up on his desk with his hand. ' _I agree..._ '

This really was going to be a long day, wasn't it?


	3. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira is getting so tired of being told, "You know what will happen if you get in trouble."  
> Thankfully, though, he sees a familiar face again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've finally finished chapter three! This is a much longer chapter than the last two, and there's a bit of important stuff in here. We finally get to meet best boi Ryuji, and Morgana is here! This is all setting up for the story coming up, so look forward to it.

Under the cover of darkness, in a remote alleyway in Yongen-Jaya, a shrill, animalistic screech rang out upon deaf ears, followed by a sickening crunch. For a few moments, everything was still; silent. Then, a teen emerged from the shadows enveloping the alleyway, leaving behind the desiccated corpse of a single rat. Nobody noticed the small trail of blood dribbling down the teen's chin.

 

* * *

 

 

The following morning, Akira woke up, feeling  _slightly_ better than he had the previous day. He was even able to somehow stomach the curry that Sojiro prepared for him this time.

"Jesus, kid, you really are  _way_ too pale. You feeling sick or something?" the man asked.

"...Not really. I'm just a bit anemic, is all." he lied. Sojiro gave a slight hum in understanding.

"Well, no matter. Just make sure you get to school and behave yourself. You know what'll happen if you get yourself into trouble, don't you?" Sojiro held a hand on his hip, sending the teen a stern gaze.

"Yes, sir." Akira responded dryly before standing up and grabbing his bag.

On the walk to the station, Akira couldn't help but sigh. Of  _course_ he knew what would happen. He'd been made well aware that, should he make even the  _slightest_ of mistakes, he'd end up right back in juvenile detention. As if  _that_ was anything new...

 

* * *

 

 

During lunch, Akira stood in the hallway outside his classroom, leaning against the wall and trying to ignore the pangs in his gut. ' _Chill, you had plenty last night, and you've survived before on less!_ '

Suddenly, he was brought out of his thoughts when the classroom door slid open, and Ms. Kawakami stepped out, eyeing him warily. She stepped over to him, sighing.

"I almost forgot to mention, but whatever you do, just don't get involved with  _Sakamoto-kun_." Akira shrugged at her.

"And who exactly is he?" Kawakami sighed again.

"Ugh, he's  _nothing_ but  _trouble_ ;" she groaned, then hesitated before adding, much quieter, "but he wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field, though..." Akira chose not to comment on this particular statement, instead choosing to simply nod.

"I shouldn't have to remind you, but you do know what will happen if you start associating with delinquents like him, right?" Again, he nodded.

"Good. Well, you'll know him if you see him. Now, if you'll excuse me..." With that, Kawakami turned and started down the hallway, her flats clicking against the floor all the while.

Once she had rounded the corner, Akira slumped back against the wall. He was  _really_ tired of everyone telling him the same damn thing again and again.

He didn't have long to let her warning sink in before the bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. He pushed himself off the wall and turned to head back to the classroom when he suddenly collided face-first into something  _hard_.

He reeled back, clutching his nose and hissing in pain. He forced one eye open to catch a glimpse of the fool who ran into him, only to be surprised when he found a head a bright blonde hair mere inches from his face.

Said 'fool' was bent forward, rubbing his forehead. After a moment, he seemed to come to himself, as he snapped his attention to Akira.

"Ah, shit, sorry man. I wasn't really watching where I was going." The blonde boy fumbled a bit before scurrying off around him.

When Akira finally made it to his seat, he slumped down, suddenly feeling exhausted. He perked up a bit when he overhead a couple of girls talking about him.

"Did you see that? That creepy transfer student is already talking to Sakamoto-kun."

"Wait, really? I wonder if they're plotting something."

"It wouldn't surprise me. They're both just a couple of  _delinquents_ , after all..."

Akira groaned and sunk further into his seat. Now people were starting to spread stupid rumors about him. This was exactly the  _last_ thing he had wanted. Why did it seem as though trouble simply followed him wherever he went?

 

* * *

 

 

Akira was relieved to have finally made it back to Leblanc in one piece. He waved halfheartedly to Sojiro before trudging upstairs into the attic. Akira shrugged his bag off onto the table before all but  _collapsing_ onto the little futon he called a bed. He fell into an exhausted slumber within moments.

 

* * *

 

 

The dark-haired teen was startled awake to the sound of rain beating down against the roof and window, as well as what sounded like...  _meowing_?

Akira bolted upright, suddenly wide awake as his eyes scanned the room. A light tap against the window had Akira turning around towards it. He stared through the glass at a figure with a familiar pair of royal blue eyes which bored into his own grey ones.

He lit up and quickly scrambled forward to throw open the window.

"Morgana! You finally made it!" He scooped the sopping-wet feline up into his arms and brought him into the dry attic room.

"Yeah, yeah. You're just lucky I'm bound to you or I wouldn't have had to come find you in this awful weather!" Despite the cat's harsh words, it leaned into Akira's affectionate strokes.

"Heh, took you long enough."


	4. Akira's Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana, Akira's familiar, has finally caught up to Akira in Tokyo, and decides to help Akira go get a proper meal.  
> Things don't go quite as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, THIS is truly the quickest update. I don't think I could update faster unless I uploaded more than one in a day. I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll, and I'm pumping out content at a pretty steady pace. I don't know how long it'll last, but I'm pretty hyped about this series, and I'm just the one WRITING it.  
> I hope y'all enjoy this, because not only does this chapter introduce some concepts of this AU, but we also get to see the Pancake Prince for the first time.

"You know, it really was cruel of them to send you all the way here for such a stupid reason..." The cat looked up at Akira from under the towel, sympathy shining in his bright blue eyes. Akira sat back onto the bed with a huff and leaned down to scratch Morgana behind his ears.

"I know. The past couple of days have been...  _stressful_ , to say the least, but at least now you're here." The teen smiled bitterly. 

The black and white feline sat back on his haunches and glanced worriedly up at Akira.

"How've you been eating lately?" Akira pointedly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Um... Like I did before I summoned you?" He chuckled sheepishly, and Morgana sighed.

"Rats?  _Again_? How do you expect to keep up this little charade if you don't eat properly?"

After a little lecture, the cat finally leaped up onto the bed, curling up at the end.

"Well, come on. I'd rather not have to drag around a  _zombie_ tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

Akira lied back and pulled the sheets up over himself. He glanced briefly down at the cat sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed and smiled softly. Sure, Morgana could be a bit snarky at times, and he liked to lecture him a lot (especially when it comes to his sleep schedule), but he could tell that he did those things because he cared about him. Morgana was the only one he could let his guard down around; the only one he could truly call a friend, and he loved the cat deeply.

 

* * *

 

 

Before the sun had even risen over the horizon, Akira was awoken by a wet nose nudging against his cheek.

"Akira! Hey, wake up!" The teen cracked one eye open.

"Yeah?"

"You have my bandana?" The cat asked, tail swishing with anticipation.

When a vampire summons a familiar, they often bind the creature with some kind of material object, which contains their ability to use their magic. This way, should the vampire ever find themself being hunted down, they could simply remove the object, so they would, essentially, be rendered into an ordinary animal, so as to keep them safe.

Akira had been thirteen when he summoned Morgana. He'd been told about the importance of binding a familiar, and that the spell would be more effective if the object used was something that had personal value to the summoner. That was why he chose to bind Morgana with the yellow bandana his mother had given him when he learned how to use his magic for the first time. He had been so happy, and she had told him, ' _Perhaps this will be of great use to you one day_ '. Ever since then, Morgana was never seen without the yellow cloth around his neck.

"Yep, I put it in with my clothes." Akira rose from the bed and padded across the room to a set of shelves where a large cardboard box was tucked away. He dragged the box out onto the floor and began rummaging through it. A few moments later, he reemerged with the bandana, holding it up for Morgana to see.

"Alright! Looks like our little plan worked out perfectly, huh?" He mewed excitedly.

"Yeah, you're right," he started, wrapping the bandana back into its proper place around the cat's neck, "but to be honest, I was kinda, y'know, expecting  _something_ to end up going wrong." He grinned.

"Wh- Hey! Don't say that! You'll jinx us!" Morgana cried out. Akira simply chuckled, patting Morgana on the head.

"Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist."

 

* * *

 

 

"Alright, let's go get you some food. I mean, look at you! You're practically all skin and bone, and you're so weak, I'm surprised you haven't  _died_ yet!" Morgana exclaimed (rather dramatically).

"I'm a  _vampire_ , I  _can't_ die..." Akira deadpanned.

"Hush, you." The two continued their walk, making lighthearted banter along the way. Finally, when they reached Shibuya, Morgana turned to look up at Akira.

"Okay, I'll help you lure someone somewhere quiet. Just make sure nobody sees you, right?"

"Yeah. We'll do it just like always."

 

* * *

 

 

The plan had worked out just like always; however, when Morgana met him in the alley, he hadn't been expecting the person trailing behind him to have been someone his own age.

He stepped forward and caught Morgana as the cat leapt into his arms.

"Mona! There you are! Oh, I was so worried." He nuzzled his face into Morgana's fur, acting like a doting child who had been looking for their pet.

"Oh, is he yours?" The stranger asked. Akira couldn't help but marvel at just how surprisingly soft his voice was for a man.

"Yeah. I was on my way home when he suddenly jumped out of my bag and ran off. I ended up losing him pretty quickly in the crowd..." Akira lied. It was the same story he had told so many times before, and each time, they always fell for it. He held back a smirk as he thought, ' _Heh, I bet you're just as stupid as all of the others, aren't you_?'

He gripped Morgana a little bit tighter to himself as he prepared.

' _Time to finish this_.'

Akira activated his Third Eye. The Third Eye was a special ability that allowed the user to entice their victims. All they had to do was look into their eyes, and the Third Eye would mess with the victim's mind and basically turn them into a slave. It was like hypnosis, or mind control, only much stronger.

"I should thank you," Akira grinned, staring deeply into a pool of endless crimson, "what's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened in surprise, and he stared openly at Akira.

"Oh, but I didn't really do anything! At the very least, I'm just glad you were able to find him." He smiled bashfully.

"My apologies, but I must be going." The boy bowed slightly and left, leaving Akira to gawk dumbfoundedly at the spot where the boy stood mere moments ago.

"You have  _GOT_ to be kidding me! Why didn't it work?!" Akira finally cried out, outraged that his dinner had just walked off. Morgana hummed thoughtfully.

"That  _is_ rather odd... The Third Eye should always work, regardless of whether or not you're low in strength."

Akira trembled with rage. How could some... _kid_ manage to evade his spell? This was impossible!

"It's getting late. Boss will be heading out soon to open up shop, right?" Morgana cackled, amused.

"Guess you'd better go find yourself another rat."

 

* * *

 

 

Of course, he ended up doing just that. He felt like absolute shit, but he supposed it was still better than nothing at all.

Although, on the way home, he couldn't help the same thought from echoing again and again in his mind; ' _Just who the hell was that guy_?'


	5. Kamoshida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira runs into Kamoshida, and he realizes just how big a bastard the man is.  
> But after a little heart-to-heart with Ann, Akira decides that it's about time to do something about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's keep this update train going!  
> What do you think Akira's 'plan' is? You'll know what I'm talking about when you've finished reading the chapter.

The next few days went by rather uneventfully, at least, up until Saturday.

Akira was headed to school, and he noticed one of the teachers standing at the school gates, greeting students as they passed. Almost instantly, Akira recognized him as the man that he'd seen that blonde girl, 'Takamaki-san' with on his first day.

As Akira walked by, the man greeted him.

"Good morning." Akira didn't respond, instead choosing to stare directly at the man, analyzing him. For a brief moment, a look of recognition flashed in his eyes.

"Oh, you're that _transfer student_ , right?" Suddenly, his entire demeanor took a sharp 180, his face darkening in disgust.

"Look, I heard _all_ about what you did. You're just lucky that Principal Kobayakawa was generous enough to let some criminal like you into this school. If you cause any trouble, you'll be kicked out." He spat out the words like venom.

"Oh, and don't think anyone's gonna take pity on you, either. Look around. They're all afraid of you. After all, who'd feel safe knowing that they're going to school with a _murder suspect_? In other words, you're a _nuisance_."

Was this guy _serious_...?

Akira so badly wanted to punch the man in his smug little mouth, and it took him every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from doing so. He was almost shaking by the time he walked stiffly past the man.

 

* * *

 

It was only when he accidentally ran into Takamaki-san again that he made up his mind. He'd been getting off at the station when he saw her talking on the phone. He couldn't help but listen in.

"...I can't come today... What? But that's _not_ what you promised! How can you call yourself a _teacher_? ...Huh? Shiho's...starting position?" Shortly after, the girl hung up and whimpered, crouching down to the ground to bury her face in her hands.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Morgana asked from within the boy's bag.

He had a nagging feeling that he knew _exactly_ what this was about, if the rumors about Takamaki-san dating that coach (he later found out that the man's name was Kamoshida) were true.

Without thinking, he took a step towards the girl.

"Are you okay?" Her head snapped up to look at him. She quickly stood up, furiously wiping away the tears that were pooling at the corners of her eyes.

"W-what do you want?" She asked, voice trembling.

"Well, I heard you talking to someone, and it seemed like you were upset." As soon as he mentioned it, her eyes blew wide in anger.

"You were _eavesdropping_ on me?!"

"Not on purpose! I just happened to overhear some of it." He raised his hands up defensively. She relaxed slightly.

"So, how much did you hear?" She asked, looking absolutely miserable.

"...Something about a teacher." The girl sighed.

"Look... I appreciate the gesture, but this is my problem. Please, just leave me alone..." With that, she turned away, eyes watering, and ran down into the Underground Walkway.

Akira ran after her.

 

* * *

  
Ann leaned back, wiping away her tears with a shaky sigh.

"I'm sorry, I've just been going on and on all this time about my own problems. This is kind of embarrassing..." She chuckled halfheartedly.

"It's okay, I don't mind." Akira spoke softly, not wanting to end up making her upset all over again. Especially since she had just gotten done pouring out her heart to him.

Ann told him everything - about how everyone thinks that she's sleeping with Kamoshida, but she only plays along to protect her friend, Shiho, because she was the first friend Ann made when she came to Shujin as a foreign exchange student in middle school. She told him that the only reason she was even able to get through it was because of Shiho and Ryuji. Akira had been honestly surprised by that last bit. He'd never have suspected that Ann and Ryuji were friends. Akira remembered when he ran into the blonde boy the other day in the hall. Despite everyone saying that he was a delinquent, and that he was trouble, he didn't seem like a bad person.

"What am I supposed to do? He's gonna take Shiho off of the volleyball team and suspend Ryuji if I don't do something... _Ugh_ , I just wish he'd just change his mind or something." Ann trailed off, talking more to herself than to Akira. Even so, he responded.

"Well, you never know. It _could_ happen." Ann stared at him for a moment before letting out a genuine laugh.

"Hey, I wasn't intending for you to give me a serious response, you know?" Ann cast her eyes downwards, swirling the ice cubes around in her cup as she sighed. Then, she looked back up at him.

"Oh, I'd been curious, but... Are those rumors about you really true? Are you as bad as everyone says?" She asked softly.

"I'm bad to the bone." Clearly, Ann hadn't been expecting that kind of response, as she gaped at him for a moment, as though he'd just admitted to secretly being some kind of masked superhero like the ones you'd have seen in childrens' shows. ' _Although, I suppose it's not too far-fetched, seeing as I'm actually a vampire, and people think that they're just mythical creatures_.'

"Was that supposed to be a _joke_?" Ann chortled.

"Well, I kind of had a feeling that that might've been the case. I mean, you don't seem like a bad guy. If anything, you seem... _lonely_."

Akira wanted to deny it, but the fact was that he _was_ lonely. His parents were always busy, and they never really had the time to pay any attention to him. Not to mention that he's never really had any friends (well, there _was one_. He'd often talk to the girl next door, Nanako-chan). He was a plain-looking boy, so he never stood out. Besides that, Inaba was a small town. People were much different in the country than here in the city.

Ann finished her drink and then stood from the table.

"Well, thanks for letting me talk. I actually feel a bit better now. I gotta go, though." She waved him off and left the diner, a small smile on her face.

 

* * *

  
Akira changed into his pajamas and got settled into bed. Morgana curled up on top of his stomach.

"You know, I'm surprised. I actually didn't expect you to go out of your way for someone else like that." Morgana spoke thoughfully, tail swooping back and forth.

"Neither did I. Honestly, I wasn't even thinking when I went up to her. I just felt like... I could understand her pain." Akira sighed. He hated thinking about the past, but it always found a way back into his thoughts, and he hated it.

"Well, you can't really back out now that you've talked to her. What are you gonna do?" Morgana asked. Akira thought for a moment. It was true that he wanted to help her, but what could he do? Wouldn't the school know about this stuff? If that was the case, then the school was obviously covering things up, so it wouldn't be like he could turn to anyone there.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. An idea _so insane_ that it j _ust might work_. Not only would it benefit Ann and her friends, but it would benefit Akira, too...

Akira grinned wickedly.

"Oh? It looks like you've thought of something?"

Akira patted the cat.

"I think that perhaps I was wrong. I think that this year _just may_ be rather fun after all.."

_Let's get rid of this bastard._


	6. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira sets out to put his plan into motion, but wait, is this really a good idea?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I haven't been feeling too great today, but I still have another chapter ready for y'all.  
> Keep in mind that this chapter marks the first major turning point in this series. So buckle up, cause shit's about to get real. But not too real. Yet...

On Sunday, Akira took advantage of the day off from school in order to go over his plan.

"Are you _sure_ you wanna do this? What if they somehow trace it back to you?" Morgana fretted, pacing nervously back and forth on the bed. Akira grimaced.

"I'll just have to take that risk."

"Oh, but then again, what if you get him where you want him, and it doesn't work, like with that one guy? You'll be _dead meat_!" The cat jumped up, resting its front paws on Akira's stomach dramatically.

" _Relax_ , Mona. I'll find a way."

Akira stood from his seat on the edge of his bed and moved to get dressed.

 

* * *

  
Akira stood outside the school gates. Even though there wasn't any school, there were still club activities, so the gates were left open for students. One of those clubs just so happened to be the volleyball team, which was having a practice meet today.

He took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to mess this up. Not only was he putting his _own life_ on the line by even attempting this, but if he didn't succeed, he had no way of telling what would happen to Ann and the others.

No, this _had_ to work.

Akira entered the building, which was unnervingly quiet. He checked the gymnasium first, just in case practice had already started. He sighed in relief when he saw the gym was empty. That meant that there was only one other logical place where Kamoshida would be; the PE faculty office.

Akira made his way to the second floor and stood outside the door to the PE faculty office.

He couldn't help but hesitate. Was this _really_ worth it? Risking his _whole life_ for a girl he _barely_ knew?

Well, he had already made up his mind, so it wasn't like it mattered much now. Akira steeled his will and stepped into the PE faculty office.

 

* * *

 

 

He was relieved beyond words to find that Kamoshida was the only one there. This would make things _much_ easier.

"Um... Mr. Kamoshida, sir?" Akira stepped closer.

The man was sitting at a desk across the room, his back to Akira. Upon hearing his name, Kamoshida turned to face the teen.

"Oh, it's just _you_. What do you need?" He asked, already sounding bored.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Kamoshida sighed.

"Make it quick. Practice starts in twenty minutes." Kamoshida turned in his chair to face Akira, crossing his arms over his chest.

_This was it._

Akira could feel the sweat forming at the back of his neck already. Nevertheless, he gathered what courage he had left in him at the moment.

Akira activated the Third Eye and stared directly into the man's cold eyes. He watched as his pupils dilated to the point where his irises couldn't even be seen.

_Got him._

"I just wanted to know if... you had any last words." A wide, terrifying smile stretched across Akira's face.

Kamoshida, under the spell of the Third Eye, gave not even a cry as Akira lunged forward and sank his pointed canines into the man's jugular.

 

* * *

 

"What? _That's_ what you said to him? _Ugh_ , you're so corny, you know that?" Morgana groaned as he listened to Akira's retelling of the events.

"More importantly, though, you managed to pull it off. I'm proud of you; you didn't even need my help this time." Morgana chuckled, smiling warmly at the boy.

"What can I say? You taught me well." He held back a laugh at the cat's pleased expression towards his praise.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Akira found himself genuinely glad to go to school. He rushed out of the attic, waving to Sojiro on his way through the cafe's door.

During his walk to school, Akira felt oddly satisfied when he overheard a couple of students already talking about it. He imagined that the news didn't take long to get around. After all, Kamoshida was the face of Shujin's athletic division.

"Dude, did you hear? One of the volleyball players found Mr. Kamoshida _dead_!"

"Yeah! What do you think happened to him? Do you think it was...?"

"I don't know, but isn't this all like one of those murder mystery shows?"

" _Dude!_ "

 

* * *

 

During lunch, Akira sat by himself in the small plaza in the courtyard, this way, he could hear the chatter of all of the students lingering around the cross-section that connected the main building to the practice building and the gymnasium.

He stared down at his phone, checking the news, when a familiar voice called to him.

"Hey, um... Kurusu-kun, right?" Akira looked up to see Ann standing there fidgeting uncomfortably, clearly at a loss for words.

"Takamaki-san. Do you... need something?"

She looked startled, as though Akira had just slapped her in the face.

"Oh! Well, um..." She mumbled, "I wanted to ask you about something." Ann looked away. If Akira hadn't known any better, he'd have thought she was attempting to disappear behind her pigtails.

"What is it?" Akira tried as hard as possible to maintain a monotonous tone.

"It's, uh... It's about Kamoshida."

Akira pretended to be shocked.

"I heard what happened. What about him?"

Ann sighed and finally leveled her gaze to his, a fierce look of determination blazing in her eyes.

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

Akira was a bit taken aback. He hadn't actually expected the once timid girl to just come right out and ask him such a thing so boldly.

"What makes you think that?" Ann froze, eyes widening.

" _What?_ "

"What makes you think I had anything to do with his death?" Akira shot back, leaning forward on the bench.

"Er..." Ann stuttered. It was obvious that she had connected the dots, but it seemed she hadn't quite put it into words. She deflated.

"...You're right. I'm sorry. That was a bit uncalled for, wasn't it?" Her tone softened, and she looked sincerely regretful.

"No, don't apologize. I can understand why you would think that. I mean, I practically cornered you into telling me all of the horrible things he's been doing to you and your friends, and then suddenly he's found _dead_? I guess that _does_ make me seem a bit suspicious, huh?" Akira chuckled. Ann jerked forward.

"No! You didn't corner me. I mean... A part of me _wanted_ to tell you. It was just so _freeing_ to be able to get all of it off of my chest. I should be thanking you, but instead I'm interrogating you, huh?" Ann laughed herself.

He and Ann conversed for a while until the bell rang.

"Crap! I completely lost track of the time. Oh, by the way, we should totally hang out sometime!" Ann smiled cheerfully, catching Akira completely off-guard.

"You want to hang out...with _me_?" Akira pointed to himself.

"Yeah! I'll introduce you to Shiho and Ryuji, too!"

Akira flushed, feeling embarrassed. Why would she want to hang out with someone so boring like him?

"Anyways, we should get going, or we're gonna be late!" Akira nodded dumbly and watched the blonde scurry back into the building. He just sat there for a moment, mouth hanging open in clear bafflement.

Morgana peeked his head out of Akira's school bag.

"To be honest, you should have seen this coming. You didn't _seriously_ expect her to not say anything after all of that, did you?" Morgana snickered.

"Oh, _shut it_ , cat."


	7. That Feeling of Being Watched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira just knows that someone's watching him. The only problem is that he has no idea who it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry I'm a little late. I was going to keep my daily update streak going, but my entire town lost power Friday evening, and yesterday was spent doing Christmas shopping, so I wasn't able to finish writing until now.  
> I hope that this chapter doesn't feel too rushed.  
> And yes, I know that normally a certain someone else would've come first, but in this story, the metaverse doesn't exist, so things won't play out the same way.  
> Yes, this does technically mean that Akechi isn't the Black Mask. Other than that bit of information, I'm not going to spoil anything~

He'd first noticed it on Wednesday. It was just after school, and he was headed down the hallway to leave when this overwhelming feeling washed over him. It sent tingles down his spine and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

  
Was someone... _watching him_?

  
He turned around and scanned the other students in the hallway, but they were all either in groups talking or just absorbed in their own affairs. Akira shook off the odd feeling and left.

 

* * *

  
On Friday, he felt it again. Eyes boring holes into the back of his head.

  
This time he whipped around in an attempt to catch whoever was watching him. Still, nobody.

  
Was he just paranoid?

 

* * *

 

  
Again, on Monday, he could feel those invisible eyes staring intently at him. Although, when he turned, he didn't see anything out of the ordin-

  
 _Wait_.

  
Something registered in his mind, and he looked at bit more closely at the students around him.

  
 _Ah, there it was._ That girl.

  
Each time, she was standing near the closest corner, face hidden behind a book. Akira pretended not to notice her, and instead continued to walk though the halls, and just as he thought, wherever he went, he'd notice her never too far behind.

  
She was way too obvious, too. The book she was 'reading' was even _upside down_!

  
Akira simply sighed.

 

* * *

  
A few days after that, he'd noticed that there were times even _outside_ of school where he would notice that same girl in the least expected places. The Underground Mall, on the main street in Shibuya, even at the station. She would always be far enough away to not look outwardly suspicious but never close enough for Akira to get a good look at her. All he could see was that she was always very neatly dressed, and she had short chestnut-brown hair with a braid over the top of her head.

  
Just _who was_ this girl anyways?

  
Maybe Ann would know...

 

* * *

  
Akira had practically _dragged_ her up onto the roof. Normally he'd feel mortified for doing such a thing, but at the moment, there were more pressing matters besides his own crippling social awkwardness.

  
"Um, why did you have to bring me all the way up here? Is this some sort of _super-secret mission_ , or...?" Ann cast him a curious look.

  
"Something like that. It's just that I've noticed this girl stalking me for quite a while now, and I thought maybe you would know who she is."

  
Ann stared at him for a few moments, completely silent, as if to say, ' _Are you sure you haven't lost it?_ '

  
"Look, I _know_ she's following me. Not even just here at school, either. Sometimes I'll see her in Shibuya, too. She's _always_ watching me, and it's _really_ starting to creep me out..." Akira trailed off, feeling a bit...small?

  
"Huh. Well, what does she look like?" After describing the mystery girl to Ann, she gasped, eyes wide.

  
"Are you talking about _Niijima-senpai_?! The _student council president_? But why would _she_ of all people be _stalking_ you?"

  
"How should _I_ know?" Akira threw up his arms wildly.

  
"Um," Ann brought her hand to her chin in thought, "maybe the next time you catch her in the act, just walk right up to her and ask her why she's following you around."

  
"...Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try..."

 

* * *

  
The next day, he sensed her watching him again just after he'd left the classroom. This time around, instead of ignoring her, he turned around, marched right up to the girl, and tapped his finger against her book. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

  
"Excuse me, but are you Niijima-san?" He asked. The girl merely looked away, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.

  
"...That's right. Do you need something?" She asked, voice calm despite her outward demeanor.

  
"Uh, yeah, you could tell me why the hell you've been _following me around_ the past week."

  
Niijima-san recoiled visibly at his words.

  
"Ah, well that's..." She trailed off.

  
A few moments passed by in a tense silence as the girl practically shifted from foot to foot, face turning redder by the minute.

  
Then, as if an idea struck her, she straightened up, looking him directly in the eyes.

  
"Well, it's just that you've seemed troubled lately, and as the student council president, I simply cannot ignore it."

  
"Uh huh, and just _how_ have I come off as ' _troubled_ ' to you? I think I've been doing _perfectly fine_ , actually."

  
Niijima flinched, deflating again. She opened her mouth a few times, as though to say something to defend herself, but each time, she'd snap it closed once again.

  
When it seemed as though the girl had nothing more to say, Akira turned around with a huff.

  
" _-ave to_." Her quiet voice penetrated the silence, stopping Akira in his tracks. He turned to look at her once more.

  
"What was that?"

  
She stood, face down-turned, arms trembling.

  
"I said, I. _Have_ to!" She spoke the words slowly, eyes hardened in an almost glare.

  
"I'm sorry, but I don't have much of a choice;" she turned, "I'm going for today, but don't underestimate me. I _will_ find out your secret. Then, I'll _finally_..." She cut herself off there, voice shaking.

She turned and stiffly marched out of the school, gaining quite a few curious looks on her way.


	8. Nightmares of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out that even demonic mythological beings can experience fear, too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Child abuse
> 
> This chapter is short, but it gives us a lot of insight to a certain someone's past.
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say that I do not condone ANY forms of abuse. It's a terrible thing that I have personal experiences with, and nobody deserves to go through that.

School continued onward normally for a while.

Akira still had no idea why the student council president, Niijima-san, had been watching him. At the very least, though, she didn't appear to be following him anymore.

She had said that she ' _had_ ' to. Could it be that someone was making her spy on him? It was a possibility.

Of course, he did also take into account that it could have simply been something she said on a whim to deceive him, but Akira felt as though she was telling him the truth that time.

 

* * *

 

They had been walking in silence up until Akira recalled the events of the past few days, and he sighed.

"This is why I didn't want to get involved..." Akira grumbled.

"Well then, why _did_ you?" Morgana asked, head poking out of the teen's bag.

" _I don't know_! Normally I wouldn't get myself all tied up in some _mortals_ ' affairs, but..." Akira paused, thinking.

"But she reminded you so much of yourself...right? From back then?" Morgana spoke softly, as though fearing one wrong word may break Akira. He sighed.

"Yeah... I guess you're right. At any rate, we should probably stop talking about this." Akira picked up his pace, shoulders instinctively stiffening.

"Right, sorry." Morgana felt bad, slinking back down into the bag. Akira never liked talking about his past, and it only ever put him in a sour mood.

' _The poor guy's had a rough life. Even now, he can't seem to get a break, huh?_ '

 

* * *

 

 

Akira flopped down onto the bed, feeling drained from the day. Sojiro had made him wash dishes after he got home, and even then, he still had to study. He knew it was because he hadn't fed for a while, and he couldn't help but curse whatever deity made vampires become fatigued if they don't feed often enough. That only makes it _harder_!

Akira groaned, feeling his stomach twist into knots in disapproval of his irregular eating habits.

He pushed down the urge to punch himself, if only to temporarily take his mind off of the pain in his gut. Instead, he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

 

* * *

  
The figure slowly approached, features masked by a contorted, wispy dark mist.

" ** _Vino aici, băiete._** " It spoke, voice low and raspy.

The figure, now looming over the child, reached a hand out towards him. A sinister smile stretched across its face, seeming almost as though its intent was to eat him whole.

" ** _Trebuie să ştiţi mai bine decât să nu asculte de mine._** "

He began to sob, shaking in terror.

" _Vă rog... opreşte-te! Nu din nou!_ "

The figure chuckled, reaching down to grab him by his arm and yanking him to his feet, all the while ignoring his pained screams.

" ** _Brats ca tine ar trebui să ştie locul lor._** " Then, he dragged the boy, screeching and bawling, into an empty room. His broken cries echoed out into the corridors. Anyone who happened to have heard the commotion simply blocked out the noise.

" _Unchiul!_ "

 

* * *

  
Akira awoke with a start, frightened by the sounds of his own strangled wails. He bolted upright in bed, chest heaving. Morgana jumped up beside him, eyes wide.

"Akira! Are you alright?"

At first, he didn't respond, choosing instead to gape wordlessly at the cat. Morgana softly gasped upon registering the boy's face in the moonlit room. Tears ran freely down his cheeks.

Morgana gently nuzzled his furry face into Akira's side, his heart heavy with sympathy. It's been a long time since Akira let himself show such vulnerability.

Akira didn't even need to explain. Morgana already knew.

' _He had that dream again..._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just as painful for me to write as it was for you to read...
> 
> Translations:  
> Vino aici, băiete - Come here, boy
> 
> Trebuie să ştiţi mai bine decât să nu asculte de mine - You should know better than to disobey me
> 
> Vă rog... opreşte-te! Nu din nou! - Please...stop! Not again!
> 
> Brats ca tine ar trebui să ştie locul lor - Brats like you should know their place
> 
> Unchiul! - Uncle!


	9. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann practically forced him into finally meeting Ryuji and Shiho.  
> Why does it feel like ever since he stepped off the train into Tokyo, he lost the ability to control his own life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays!  
> I'm having a bit of back luck (the sewer system is backed up again, my sister's working late and probably won't be home until around 11, and I could barely afford gifts this year because of my wonky pay schedule), but I still wanted to get another chapter out before Christmas Day.
> 
> Also, just a reminder for 'Time's Up'.  
> Updates will be verrrry slow, because each chapter is going to be really long. I'm not sure when you should start expecting the first official chapter, but at the moment, progress is at about 4%. So, yeah, it'll probably be a while. =w=
> 
> BEWARE: DIALOGUE-HEAVY CHAPTER AHEAD

Akira slid down into his chair, letting out an exaggeratedly-loud sigh.

"I'm _stuffed_. Thanks for sharing your lunch with me, Ann!"

Ann nodded, happily munching away on some sweet she had bought that morning.

"No problem. You seem like you don't eat enough anyways."

After a few moments in shared silence, Ann bolted up, eyes sparkling excitedly.

"Hey, you said you live in Yongen, right? By some cafe?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I just had an _awesome_ idea!"

Akira gulped. Ann's ' _ideas_ ' usually involved dragging him off to buy crepes, trying to get him to model with her, or something equally embarrassing or gut-wrenching, and if he had thought eating curry for breakfast was nauseating, the sickeningly-sweet sugary delicacies that Ann all but crammed down his throat were on an entirely different level of disgusting.

"...Yeah?" Akira forced the words out, already feeling the contents of his stomach gurgle unsettlingly with anxiety.

Ann either didn't pay the sounds his gut were making any mind, or she didn't notice, but she leaned forward, practically bouncing in her seat.

"We should all go there on Sunday!"

Akira didn't like where her train of thought was headed.

"We... _all_?" He croaked out.

"Yeah! You, me, Ryuji, and Shiho! I've been waiting to finally introduce you to them!" Ann jumped out of her seat and placed her hands on the desk, staring pleadingly at the dark-haired boy.

" _Pleeeease_?"

Akira felt the sweat rolling down his collar. He swiftly wiped his brow in what he hoped was a casual manner while willing the lightheadedness to subside. It didn't.

"Uh... I dunno. I'm not really... _good_ with that kind of stuff." He so wished he could disappear into the floor at this moment, because he just knew he looked utterly stupid in that moment. Ann's face fell slightly as understanding dawned on her.

" _Oh_! No, don't worry, they're all really great, I promise!" She scrambled forward to place a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'll be there too. The whole time, okay?"

Akira looked up at her briefly, nodding, but in truth, he barely heard a thing over the buzz in his ears.

He could already tell that this was not going to go well, and he hasn't even met the people yet.

He supposed that he  _had_ brought this all on himself...

 

* * *

  
Akira plopped down into a random booth, sighing forlornly while trying not to think about his impending doom. He could smell the now-familiar scent of fresh coffee from behind the counter.

"So, when are these supposed friends of yours dropping by, kid?" Sojiro asked, coffee pot in hand. He inwardly cursed the man for his poor timing.

"Uh... _Soon_."

Moments later, Akira heard conversation from outside the cafe.

"Huh? What were you sayin'?"

" _Ryuji_ , I already _told_ you!"

"Hehe, I guess Sakamoto-kun was too busy freaking out over that big game reveal he saw over the weekend to listen to you rant about Mika-chan."

Akira could hear lively banter and laughter flow into the little cafe as the door swung open.

"Hey, Akira! We're here!" Ann swooped in and greeted him with a large blinding smile.

She pointed to the blonde boy with the yellow tank top, who Akira recognized as that ' _Sakamoto-kun_ ' whom he had run into in the hallway back during his first week.

"This is Ryuji." The boy lifted a hand in greeting.

"Yo."

Next, Ann waved to a girl slightly shorter than herself. She had dark hair tied up in a single ponytail and kind brown eyes.

"This is Shiho." The girl, Shiho, waved at Akira, a light smile on her lips.

"It's nice to meet you, Akira-kun."

Akira stood and greeted the two properly, all the while his heart thumped wildly in his chest.

This was gonna be a long afternoon.

 

* * *

  
"What? Are you for _real_? How  _shittier_ can that asshole get?!" Ryuji (who Akira would soon come to know of as the louder of the three), practically screamed, banging his fist onto the table in anger.

As the afternoon winded down into early evening, Sojiro had eventually agreed to close up early and give the teens ' _privacy_ ', as he had put it.

Soon, the topic of interest shifted to Akira, or more specifically, how he ended up in Tokyo. So, Akira told them. He told them about the false charges of murder alongside assault, and how he'd been practically thrown out by his parents and shipped off to Tokyo on probation.

" _Quiet down_ , Ryuji! The _whole city_ will hear you at this rate. Still, though, that's awful!" Ann gave Ryuji a swift whack upside the head. Shiho nodded sympathetically.

"I agree. It seems like rumors about you spread pretty fast, too. Just don't mind them too much." She gestured to Ann.

"Ann had a pretty hard time when she first transferred here, too. Everyone says things about her just because of her looks, but she's a good person..." Ann smiled and playfully nudged the dark-haired girl.

"Yup! In fact, that's actually how we came to met."

"...I told you that your painting sucked."

The two girls shared a laugh at the memory.

Akira let himself be open for just a rare moment, and he found himself genuinely smiling.

"Yeah. Thanks, Suzui-san." The girl smiled fondly.

"Please, you can call me Shiho."

Although a part of Akira was screaming that he was making a grave mistake, he was being too vulnerable and letting his mask slip too far, he just couldn't bring himself to care in this moment. Instead, he simply allowed himself this one evening to just... _pretend_.

Pretend that he was living a _normal_ life as a _normal_ teenage boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made a reference to the big reveal of Joker being a DLC fighter in SSBU. The trailer was absolutely beautiful, by the way.  
> Yeah, I know that was technically a while ago, but I just never had a way to sneak it into the story. So here.


	10. Misstep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new year, a new chapter of Crimson Twilight. :p  
> This one's a bit short, but this is where shit starts getting real. Hehe

Akira found that when he woke up that morning, the thought of going to school didn't send the usual pit of dreaded anticipation sinking into his stomach. He wouldn't exactly say that he was _excited_ for school, per se, but that he could feel a different kind of spring in his step, one that he definitely welcomed in place of his usual depressed moods.

Akira scarfed down his breakfast, called out a quick goodbye to Sojiro, and headed out towards the subway station. After he switched from the Shibuya platform, he suddenly heard someone calling out.

"Hey! What's up?" Akira turned at hearing the familiar voice behind him. Ryuji jogged up to the boy, bag slung over his shoulder.

Akira smiled in greeting.

"The sky."

The blonde playfully smacked Akira's shoulder, chuckling.

"You know what I meant, you cheeky bastard."

The two began their trek to school, chatting cheerfully the whole way.

It had only been a little over a week since Ann formally introduced Ryuji and Shiho to him, but he found that he and Ryuji got along almost immediately, despite their severely contrasting personalities. Akira just found the vulgar teen so easy to talk to. He was honest and to-the-point, he was a bit dense, but he was an incredibly loyal friend. He reminded the noirette of a turtle; a sweet and caring personality hiding beneath a tough exterior. Also, he  _was_ a bit slow sometimes...

Admittedly, when he first heard about what Kamoshida had done to Ryuji, he'd been furious. It made him glad that he'd gone through with his plan, even if his original intent hadn't been to kill him. Initially, Akira had merely planned to weaken him to the point of incapacitation, but he'd been pretty thirsty, and he ended up getting a bit carried away. Although, he supposed the man deserved what happened anyways.

 

* * *

  
At the end of the school day, as Akira was packing up his books, Ms. Kawakami approached him.

"Oh, good, you haven't gone home yet. Niijima-san is looking for you. Could you head over to the student council room? She said that nobody reported a lost item, so she wants you to fill out some paperwork."

For a moment, Akira simply stared at her. He didn't understand what this 'lost item' thing was about, but he at least knew enough to know that this girl had something up her sleeve.

Akira ignored Kawakami's whines about having to run errands and left the classroom.

When he poked his head into the student council room, he wasn't surprised that the only person inside was Niijima-san. She was standing by the table, and turned to look at him once he opened the door, her shoulders set straight and exuding a sense of composure and confidence.

"Ah, you're earlier than I expected," she motioned to one of the chairs behind her, "have a seat."

When they both sat on opposite sides of the table, Niijima calmly folded her hands on the table, staring straight through Akira in such a way that nearly made him squirm.

"I'll get straight to the point. Kamoshida. Won't you tell me who was behind his death?" Her question immediately made his blood run cold in his veins.

_She was onto him._

At his silence, she continued.

"You can't answer that? Oh, _of course_ not. There's no way you'd admit to such a thing." She leaned forward.

"You were the last person to have seen him alive, correct? Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that he was found dead _just after_ you left?" Niijima reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. After tapping away at the screen for a moment, she turned it and held it up for him to see.

"Have a look at this."

What Akira found himself looking at was a video. A video of him in the PE faculty office, lunging at Kamoshida and tearing his sharpened canines into the man's throat. Akira felt his heart drop into his shoes. He'd been too careless, and now he was royally screwed. Of _all_ the people who could have witnessed it...

"What do you make of this, Kurusu-kun?" She asked, eyes narrowed.

He opened his mouth, willing any kind of excuse to make its way out, but nothing came, and he snapped his mouth shut again. In the end, he hung his head, not having anything to say. He supposed that this was it. Once word got out, the Creed would be hunting him down.

' ** _God dammit..._** '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu  
> Hmm, how's Akira gonna weasel his way out of this one?
> 
> I wonder what the Creed is~?


	11. Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto Niijima makes a deal with Akira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. Sorry again for the short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer.

"What exactly _are_ you?" Niijima leaned forward slightly over the table, a wild curiosity in her eyes.

"... _What_?" Akira snapped his gaze back to the dark-haired girl, his eyes wide with disbelief. He was fully expecting the girl to have called the police, report him to the school, anything but this. This was exactly why he found himself gaping like a fish at the girl, all words escaping him.

"What are you? I mean, I saw you look at Kamoshida, and your eyes just... _changed_. It was as if you were in his head. How do you _do_ it?" The girl prodded.

"Um, aren't you going to, y'know... call the police or something?" Akira mumbled, feeling dumb.

"Well, under normal circumstances, I would. However, if I were to call the police, I think you and I both know what would happen to you. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, and as wrong as it may sound for me to say this, I just can't honestly bring myself to hate you for what you did to Kamoshida. I had known what he was doing for a while, but... I just couldn't do anything. No, I _didn't_ do anything." Niijima sighed, looking down into her lap. It was as though the very life had been drained of her within the span of moments during the conversation. Akira felt a slight pang in his chest.

"In the end, while what you did may not have been right, you at least had the strength to do more than I could. You helped so many people who were victim to his abuse... including Takamaki-san." At this point, her head was hung.

"So then... You're just going to let me go?" Akira was confused. He couldn't quite understand why anyone would do this, least of all for someone like him.

"Well, not _exactly_."

Ah, there it was. The ulterior motive.

"I actually want your help. If you can do this, then I'll keep your secret."

Akira looked at her for a few moments, internally contemplating her offer. Clearly, whatever it was she wanted from him was _big_ if she was willing to cover up evidence of _murder_ for it. Although, he didn't really want to die, either, so his choice was pretty obvious.

"What do you want?" Niijima looked at him, eyes set with a fierce determination.

"I want your help tracking down a criminal."

 

* * *

  
Akira walked back home, body numb.

It was hard to believe everything that had just transpired; the student council president, a perfect honor student with a pristine record, was willing to turn a blind eye to his crime in exchange for help targeting some kind of mafia boss. Apparently some students of Shujin were falling victim to some kind of scam in Shibuya, and end up getting themselves into some bad situations, and now the principal is expecting Niijima-san to somehow figure this all out on her own, and at the expense of her future.

He could kind of understand now why she acted the way that she did. Of course, it didn't necessarily make him forgive her, but he did pity her. Akira sighed.

' _I guess I have to help her._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be having way too much fun writing this...


	12. A Storm is Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and friends head out on their trip to a local television station, and he runs into a familiar face. Their conversation leaves him with more and more questions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyooo, finals are coming up. I'll probably be pretty swamped in work for the next week or so, but I'm going to try my best to keep writing in my spare time.

Akira didn't have too long to mull over his current predicament, because the next day, his class went on a trip to a television station.

"You better be more careful from here on out." Morgana warned, head barely peeking out from his bag. Akira shushed him quietly and poked his head back down, much to the cat's annoyance.

"Dude," Ryuji whispered next to him, "you seriously brought your cat with you?"

Akira nodded.

"I have to. Boss doesn't know I'm even keeping him yet, so I don't want him to get into trouble." Akira ignored the cat's protests of, ' _I'm not a little kid, you know!_ '

On his other side stood Ann and Shiho. Ann stared ahead blankly in boredom.

"This is so boring..."

Shiho giggled at the girl.

"You'll make it."

 

* * *

  
After the annoyingly long lecture, the students were given the rest of the afternoon off before they would return the next day.

Akira stood with Ann, Ryuji and Shiho in the corridor, discussing their plans for lunch.

"You know, that reminds me, we get to go straight home today. We don't visit this area often, so why don't we check out some shops or something?" Ann suggested. Ryuji groaned loudly

"Of  _course_ you'd wanna go shopping. I dunno about you, but I'm freaking starving."

"Hey, I wanna go to that pancake-looking place!" Morgana piped in excitedly. Akira cocked his head.

"Didn't we pass by someplace like that on the way here?" Akira asked.

Ryuji snapped forward.

"Ohh, you mean Dome Town?" Akira could practically see the floppy ears and waggling tail on the blonde boy as he perked up at the thought of the place, and he couldn't help but grin. ' _Cute_.'

"Oh, I thought I heard a familiar voice."

The voice came from behind him, and he knew he'd heard it somewhere before. When he turned around and saw the boy that had approached them, he nearly choked.

" _Akechi-san_? What are _you_ doing here?" Akira gaped, wide-eyed.

A few weeks ago, he'd made an attempt to lure some unsuspecting victim into an alley so that he could feed, and this boy was who showed up.

He'd been in the back of Akira's mind since that night. How was it possible that he resisted the Third Eye? Perhaps Akira had been a bit weak when he'd used it that time, or maybe there was more to this Akechi boy (he'd seen interviews the boy was in at some point after that night, and he'd almost instantly recognized him. He just thought he'd never have to run into the brunette again) than meets the eye, after all, there were only a select few types of people who could do that. Either the boy was a vampire as well and was of a stronger nature than Akira, he had some kind of protection spell placed on him, or, in the _worst-case_ scenario, he was a vampire hunter. None of the possibilities were all too pleasing, as they all would mean that Akechi would _have_ to know that Akira was a vampire.

"I could ask you the same thing." Akechi chuckled, a plastic mask over his face. Akira could smell the dark aura surrounding the boy. There was something terribly wrong with this guy. The scent was almost overwhelming; it stung Akira's senses and made him feel dizzy, and a bit sick. His eyes started to water, but he blinked back the wetness and faced the boy with his usual schooled expression.

"I'm here on a trip."

Akechi hummed lightly in understanding.

"Ah, I see. I'm scheduled for the second block for an interview tomorrow."

"What, you famous or something?" Ryuji cut in, as completely blunt as ever. Ann spun around, looking about ready to clock Ryuji upside the head. Akechi chuckled again, holding up a hand.

"Oh, only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times..."

The group continued their discussion for a few moments before Akechi glanced up at the clock on the wall, straightening up.

"Ah, I must be going. I almost envy you all, going out to have lunch together and enjoying your afternoon so carefree." Akechi sighed a bit, and Akira could tell that he wasn't actually lying about that bit.

"What are you talking about?" Ann asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Akechi looked genuinely taken aback at her question.

"Oh! Am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes..."

At first, Akira thought nothing of what the brunette had just said, instead watching dumbly as he turned and walked away. It was only when a small paw nudged him, and he looked down into Morgana's alarmed blue eyes that he realized what had just transpired.

_Akechi had heard Morgana._

This absolutely solidified the fact that Akechi knew more than he was letting on.

In a moment of pure adrenaline, Akira's face twisted into a wicked smile.

' _You fucked up, Akechi-san_.'


	13. The Fall of Greed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira tracks down the leader of the crime ring that has been preying on innocent students throughout Shibuya.  
> The aftermath leads to the start of something great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry I was MIA for a bit. I finally finished with midterms. I'm pretty sure I failed my chemistry midterms, but meh.
> 
> Anyways, I promise that this chapter will be really interesting.  
> And for those of you who may be wondering, no, I haven't forgotten about Yusuke. Because this is an AU where the metaverse doesn't exist, things will not play out the same as in the game, which means that we won't be meeting the characters in the same order. In fact, some characters may not even be allies of Akira... >:3c

"So, do you have any information on the guy?" Akira asked.

He decided to meet with Makoto-chan again to ask about the mafia boss, and if she had any information that could help him track the guy down.

"Not much, I'm afraid. All I know is that the students who fell victim to these scams reported that they had been approached during the day in Shibuya. I couldn't get much more than that." She shook her head, sighing. Akira wrung his hands together, processing the information.

"Oh, okay... Well, thank you, anyways." With that, Akira left the student council room and headed home.

 

* * *

  
The following day, while Akira ate his breakfast, he thought about ways he could get in contact with this guy. It didn't make it much easier that he didn't even know anything about this man. Suddenly, an idea struck him. These peoples' main targets were students, so it would make sense that they would lure them in during the day, because not only would that be when students would be out and about, but in such a crowded city like Shibuya, they'd be able to pull it all off and nobody would notice. Akira grinned to himself.

"What're grinning like that for, kid?" Sojiro cut into his thoughts, making him jump a bit.

"Oh, I was just wondering how I did on the test yesterday. I'm pretty sure I aced it!" Akira chuckled, trying his best to seem genuine. Sojiro simply hummed questioningly, eyeing him for a moment before going back to drying coffee mugs.

"We'll see about that, I guess."

 

* * *

  
After school, once Akira transferred from Aoyama to Shibuya, instead of immediately taking the train back to Yongen-Jaya, he turned out onto the central street. He decided that he would start there, since it was one of the more populated areas in Shibuya. He walked slowly, eyeing the people around him, searching for any kind of person who stood out from the rest. Then, he passed one of the alleyways and a voice called out to him.

"Hey, _kid_. Over here!" Akira turned to the source of the voice and saw a rather plain-looking man beckoning to him from just off the sidewalk. He cautiously approached him.

"You looking for some easy money? Vacation is coming up pretty soon and I bet you'd like more pocket money than just _allowance_ , right?"

Akira could already see where this was going and he couldn't believe just how quickly he ended up finding one of them.

"Sure." He answered lowly, shrugging noncommittally.

"Heh, I thought so. Well, I can offer you a job, and if you do it, you'll be paid _well_. All you have to do is deliver something. Sounds easy, right?" The man grinned.

"Alright, but _first_..." Akira smirked, eyes turning from a dark grey into a deep blood-red as he activated the Third Eye, "take me to your boss. I'd like to have a _word_ with him."

The man nodded, eyes staring unseeingly through Akira. He was completely under the spell. The man turned and began walking down the alley into a different part of the city. Akira followed.

 

* * *

  
The man led him to a seemingly random building, but upon entering, Akira found who he could only assume was the man behind this crime ring. He was a small person, figure round like a hog's, and he looked up at him upon his entering, eyeing him sharply. The blonde girl sitting beside him hardly regarded him at first.

"Who the hell are _you_?" He asked, voice smooth and low. Akira stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves.

"That's not important."

The man scoffed and uncrossed his legs. Now he had his full attention.

"I suggest you turn right around and leave, unless you don't mind _dying_ today." He wasted no time in threatening Akira, face pulled up into a dark scowl. Akira ignored him, instead turning to look at the other people in the room.

"I'm not going anywhere. Actually, if you _value_ your pathetic life, then make all these other idiots leave. I want to talk to you. _Alone_." Akira ordered. A few people chuckled dryly. The man didn't. For a moment, nobody moved or said anything, but finally, the man waved his hand dismissively.

" _Fine_. All of you, get out." In a few moments, everyone else filed out of the building, leaving just Akira and the man alone. The man groaned, annoyed, and stood from the couch.

" _Alright_ , you little _shit_ , I've entertained you with your little request. You wanted to talk, _now talk_. I don't have all day."  
Akira smirked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, but I think you'll have plenty of time, now."

 

* * *

  
It was a rather odd sight, seeing a small, chubby man in an expensive suit and slicked-back hair slinking into the police office, gaze downcast at his feet. Police were baffled when the man behind the Shibuya crime ring, Junya Kaneshiro, inexplicably turned himself in.

When the police searched the building that Kaneshiro himself had mentioned, the only thing they could find that seemed out of place was a small red calling card signed by a mysterious person calling himself the " _Phantom Thief of Hearts_ ".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was super fun to write, and I really hope it got you all excited for more to come!  
> I have a lot of great things in store for this series.


	14. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In their downtime, Ann, Ryuji, Shiho and Akira lounge around and play a little game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of this chapter. We not only get to learn a bit more about Akira, but a bit about someone else, too ;)
> 
> Also, as a way to apologize for how long updates for 'Time's Up' are gonna be, I'm writing a couple of short oneshots based on the four seasons, and the four bois. So far, I've finished Winter (Ryuji) and Autumn (Yusuke). You can expect them to be up soon.

The next day, Makoto had rushed him in the hallway, nearly bowling him over. There was a frantic look in her eyes, but once her gaze landed on Akira, her entire demeanor shifted. A relieved smile played on her face.

"I heard that Kaneshiro turned himself in last night. This was because of you, yes?"

Akira nodded.

"I see... Thank you, Kurusu-kun." Akira waved off her praise.

"I didn't do much, really..." Makoto apparently wasn't having any of it.

"But you _did_. Perhaps for you, it wasn't much, but you've helped so many people in the process. I don't think you realize just how big a difference this makes." She looked down for a moment.

"Not to mention what you did before. Even if your methods weren't particularly... _legal_ , you did a really good thing, and as promised, I will keep your secret." Makoto politely bowed and took her leave.

"What was _that_ all about?" Akira jumped a little as Ann appeared from behind him.

"Wh- Oh, _her_? Nothing much, she was just thanking me for helping her out." Akira nearly fumbled over his words. Ann raised a brow, staring at him for a long moment before finally nodding, not fully convinced.

" _Riiight_. And just _what_ did she want your help with?" Akira began sweating, and had to resist pulling at his collar out of nervousness. He really didn't want anyone else to find out about him; _especially_ not Ann. She was his first true friend, and he didn't want to lose her.

"She wanted me to help her find something that she lost recently, that's all." Akira forced himself to smile in a way he hoped seemed natural. Ann was quiet again for a moment.

"Oh, I see! So, is _that_ why she was following you around?" It was as though her attitude took a complete 180, and suddenly she was all smiles. Akira felt himself sigh a little in relief.

"Haha, yeah, maybe..."

Ann sidled up next to him, punching him playfully in the side.

"You think she has a _crush_ on you? Ooh, I bet she does! You think she's cute, right?" Ann was giggling.

Akira flushed lightly at the thought, more out of embarrassment and slight discomfort.

"Um... _No_. Don't get me wrong, she's _nice_ and all, but..." Akira looked away. Ann gave him a pained look.

"Ouch. Outright rejected."

 

* * *

  
During class, Akira felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He slid it out of his pocket and glanced at the new text message.  
  
**Ann** : Hey, we should all hang out after school today! Are you gonna come with us?  
  
Akira smirked knowingly at the head of blonde hair in front of him. Ann shifted her head slightly to look at him and smiled.  
  
**Akira** : Sure, why not? Where are we meeting?

 **Ann** : Let's go to your place!

 

* * *

  
After school, Akira headed home and changed into more comfortable clothes, then sat down in the cafe and read while he waited for the others to arrive.

About half an hour later, he could hear familiar voices fading in. He smiled as the doors opened.

"We're here! And I brought food!" Ann triumphantly held up a bag full of what Akira presumed was the 'food', a gleeful grin on her face. Ryuji held a hand up in greeting.

"Yo."

Shiho stood beside Ann, smiling politely. She waved at Akira.

"Hello again, Akira-kun."

 

* * *

  
"So... We should play a game!" Ann exclaimed between mouthfuls of some junk food she had brought. She was sitting on the sofa, Shiho sitting on the other end, quietly nibbling on a slightly healthier snack.

"What kind of game?" Ryuji asked, half-listening. He was sitting backwards in the chair that had been in the corner of the room, head resting on the back of the chair as he flipped through another volume of some kind of sports manga.

Ryuji had lent him one of the volumes, and he was reading it, laying on his stomach on his bed.

"How about we ask each other some embarrassing questions?" Shiho piped in, an unusually dark and mischievous grin on her face.

"Ooh, _good idea_!" Ann turned to her with a wide smile and gave her a high-five. Ryuji scoffed, looking up at the two girls with disinterest.

"Why, so you can humiliate me? Not happening."

Ann was quick to stand up.

"Not just you, Ryuji. All of us!"

"That doesn't sound fun." Ryuji deadpanned.

"You mean you aren't even a _little_ curious to know if any of us have any embarrassing secrets? Like dumb things we've done or who we've _kissed_?" Ann fluttered her eyelashes in an attempt to look cute, but only succeeded in looking as if she had caught something in her eye, causing Ryuji and Shiho to laugh.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me, unless you have a _better_ idea?" She put her hands on her hips, annoyed.

"Nah, actually, I am curious now. Lemme go first!" Ryuji chuckled and Ann plopped down, grumbling a bit to herself.

" _Fine_. Go ahead."

"So, Ann. Who was the last person _you_ kissed?" Ryuji asked, a smug smirk on his lips. Ann spluttered, face going red.

" _What_? What makes you think I've kissed anyone recently?!" Ann crossed her arms indignantly, eyes not-so-subtly flickering over towards Shiho before settling her gaze on the other side of the room.

They all went back and forth, asking various different questions to one another. Eventually came Ann's turn. She bounced forward, glancing between the other three in the room. Her eyes settled on Akira.

"Akira! I choose you!" Akira straightened up on the bed.

Ann closed her eyes for a moment as she thought. Then, she opened her eyes, a devilish look in them as she pointed to him.

"Who was your first crush?"

Akira went pale as the answer to her question came to him.

Nope. No way. There was no way in _hell_ he was telling them that his first crush was on _Tuxedo Mask_ from fucking _Sailor Moon_.

"I... Haven't had a crush on anyone yet." Akira lied. He'd had a couple of crushes in the past (on actual people), but...

_They were all guys._

Akira was acutely aware of his own sexuality, but he'd never really had to consciously confront it like this. It made his face heat up a little. There was no way he could tell them. Sure, people were a bit more accepting nowadays than they were back then, but there were still some people who didn't accept his kind.

Ann and Ryuji groaned in disappointment.

"Man, that's _lame_!"

Shiho shook her head, a smile on her face as she stared directly at Akira with a knowing look in her eyes.

"I'm sure Akira-kun just hasn't found the right person yet."

Akira nodded, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"Yeah! You're...probably right."

Shiho laughed a little under her breath.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find them soon enough."


	15. The Truth Comes Forth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Makoto talk vampires, but it seems as though someone else (or some'ones') overheard them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, drama.  
> Also, some vampire lore.  
> Yes, I am choosing to deviate from the original vampire folklore a bit. And no, this is NOT Twilight. Despite the fact that the name appears in the title does NOT mean this is anything like Twilight. Twilight sucks (get it?).

Since then, Akira made sure to be more careful; not mentioning anything about his family, and making sure when he went out at night to hunt, he always made sure there was nobody else around. Things were going relatively well, despite things being a bit boring.

The next Sunday, Akira sat at the counter eating his lunch while watching the interview currently airing on the television. Just as he expected, it was about Akechi.

"Tell me, Akechi-kun, what do _you_ think of these recent incidents? A teacher at a local high school was mysteriously killed, and then not even a month later, Kaneshiro turns _himself_ in! What do you make of it all?"

Akechi hummed, bringing his hand to cup his chin in apparent thought.

"Well, it's certainly bizarre, to be truthful. I haven't witnessed anything quite like this before, but I'm almost certain that these cases are connected."

The interviewer made a little sound of excitement.

" _Incredible_! What lead you to this conclusion, Akechi-kun?" People in the audience had noticeably leaned forward in their seats, clearly anticipating Akechi's response. Akechi chuckled.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't divulge much at the moment, but the very fact that both of these incidents happened within the same area, and that each occurred in such a small span of time to one another is suspicious. That alone means that the person or people behind the incidents operate in or near Shibuya. This would be easy for them, as Shibuya is such a populated city, so they could just blend into the crowd."

The audience and the interviewer collectively ' _ooh_ 'ed in fascination.

" _Amazing_ , Akechi-kun-"

At that point, Akira had started to tune out the program. He bit viciously at a spoonful of curry and earned himself a scolding from Sojiro, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

This was bad. _Very bad_. He had to come up with some kind of plan - and _soon_.

 

* * *

  
"You wanted to see me?" Akira asked curiously as he stepped into the student council room. As usual, Makoto stood by the table, composure calm. This brought back a sense of déjà vu, and Akira internally winced.

Makoto smiled gently.

"Yes. I was a bit curious, so I wanted to ask you some questions."

Akira sat down, and Makoto followed suit. Almost immediately, Makoto's attitude changed. She leaned over the table towards him, palms smacked down onto the surface, and a fierce look of determination in her eyes.

"What is it like for you?"

Akira blinked.

"Huh?"

This was the _last_ thing he had expected from the girl.

"What is it like, being a vampire?"

 _Oh_. So _that's_ what she meant.

"Well, I mean... It's a lot like what you read about vampire folklore, y'know? We're kinda 'undead' and all, and we have to feed off of blood, so, _yeah_..."

Makoto nodded.

"Right. Please, tell me more!"

Makoto sure was excited about this... So, Akira told her.

"Well, everyone thinks that vampires can't stand garlic, or that we burn under sunlight. This is only _half_ true. Yes, vampires are naturally sensitive to sunlight, but it won't necessarily _kill_ us, so long as we aren't exposed to it for so long. And the thing about garlic is just a _complete_ lie. I've eaten garlic a _bunch_ of times, and it's never bothered me."

Makoto hummed. Wait, was that a _notepad_ she had just pulled out? She started scribbling something down onto one of the pages.

"Please, keep going. I want to know everything!"

Akira chuckled a bit out of awkwardness. It felt strange to be telling someone else about all of this.

"Well, I can't exactly tell you _everything_ , but I'll tell you what I can, I suppose."

Makoto nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well, please proceed."

 

* * *

  
"I don't really know how vampire stories got so twisted like that, but yeah..." Akira finished, slouching over in his seat.

"Well, in any case, thank you for telling me all of this. I understand it's probably a bit weird telling someone about yourself like this, but-"

Makoto's sentence was abruptly cut short as the room's door came flying open, and two figures (who had presumably been leaning on the door) crashed down onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Oww! _Dammit_ Ann, I _told_ you not to push! Now look what you did." Ryuji pushed himself up on his arms and crawled out from underneath the other blonde.

Shiho stood further from the doorway in the hall, looking about ready to bolt at any second.

Ann looked up at Makoto and Akira. Akira's heart nearly stopped in his chest at the expression on her face.

"Is it true? Everything you said? You're...a _vampire_?" She asked, voice low. Ryuji groaned.

"C'mon, Ann, don't tell me you actually _believe_ this bullcrap. There's no such thing as vampires."

Akira hung his head in quiet resignation.

' _Guess I have no choice now. I was an idiot for thinking I could ever have friends, much less with humans._ '

He sighed.

"...It's true. I'm a vampire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though, I don't like Twilight. Literally ANY love story is better than Twilight.
> 
> Edit: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life kinda sucks right now, and I just had a bit of an issue with my health. I'll try to get back on it soon.  
> Also, I think I forgot to link my Twitter and Tumblr accounts for you all, so I'll put them here. If anyone wants to talk to me, don't hesitate to hmu. I definitely wouldn't mind having someone to talk to right about now...
> 
> https://yaoibunny-8702.tumblr.com
> 
> https://twitter.com/PlainBunny


	16. Dark Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira is in a bit of a tight spot when Ann, Ryuji, and Shiho overhear Akira's conversation with Makoto and discover his secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, sorry for how long this took! I've been sick for the past few weeks (and I still am sick x.x), and some other stressful stuff came up recently, but I really wanted to finish this, so here you go!

The room fell into a silence so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. Akira felt he could barely breathe.

This was it. This was when everything would fall apart.

"You're kidding! So it _was_ you who killed Kamoshida, _wasn't_ it?" Ann practically shrieked. Akira's head snapped up. Whatever responses he could have been imagining, this certainly wasn't one of them.

"...Yes. I'm sorry." Akira nervously picked at that one loose thread on his sleeve. Ann took a step forward, looking straight at Akira.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, to be fair, this isn't the sort of thing you just _tell_ someone. Besides, if word got out about me..." He trailed off, voice breaking. Ann understood.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But don't worry, we're not going to tell anyone. Right, guys?" Ann turned to Shiho and Ryuji.

Ryuji moved to stand in front of Akira, looking as though he were on a mission.

"Prove it."

_Huh?_

Akira's jaw nearly broke when it hit the floor.

"You want me to... _show you_?" He practically squeaked. Ryuji nodded eagerly.

He'd never willingly shown anyone his dark form outside of hunting. The thought was a bit embarrassing, and he could feel a slight flush work its way to his face.

"I... I _guess_ so, but... Let's go somewhere else."

The others nodded in agreement, and they filed out of the room.

 

* * *

  
Akira nearly shrunk back, feeling incredibly self-conscious with each of their gazes fixed on him. It was like dozens of spotlights being shined directly on him, and his anxiety began to kick in. A little voice in the back of his head started whispering degrading things to him. He couldn't help but listen.

' _They're all judging you._ '

' _They probably all think you're a freak._ '

' _They'll all laugh at you._ '

' _They all **hate** you._'

' ** _They're all going to hate you._** '

Akira shook his head, bringing the morbid train of thought to a screeching halt. He really needed to stop thinking like that. After all, these guys were different. Things today weren't like they were back then...

Akira sighed, closing his eyes, and allowed himself to transform.

 

* * *

  
" _Woah_..."

"Holy shit!"

" _Wow_ ~!"

A string of surprised gasps and exclamations rang out in the dusty attic as Akira opened his eyes. He decided to activate his Third Eye just for extra measures. Makoto rushed forward.

"Can you open your mouth?" That excited look was in her eyes again.

Akira complied, stretching his mouth open to reveal four sharpened canines sticking out amongst the rest of his teeth.

"Wait," Ann cut in, confusion in her voice, "vampires have _four_ sharp teeth? I thought they only had two. Y'know, at the top of the mouth." She gestured to his mouth. Akira chuckled.

"No. If we only had two, we wouldn't be able to bite into a person's skin properly. That's something I always thought was funny about human's perceptions of vampires."

Ryuji sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Man, it's kinda weird hearing you refer to us as ' _humans_ '. I guess it's a bit hard believin' that you're, like, _undead_ and all." Ryuji winced at his own words, nose wrinkling a bit in thought.

"Yeah, I can imagine. I'd probably feel the same way if someone just walked up to me and told me that they were a _mermaid_." He chuckled.

"So, if you're a vampire, then how old _are_ you, Akira-kun?" Shiho asked. Akira laughed humorlessly before answering her.

"...I'm 218 years old."

His friends' eyes practically bulged out of their heads at his response.

" _Jesus_! Just when were you _born_ , dude?"

"Uh, _1797_..." Akira rubbed the back of his neck.

"Jeez, I guess they aren't kidding when they say vampires are immortal, huh..." Ann stared incredulously at the raven boy.

"Actually, we're not really ' _immortal_ ', per se," Akira started, "but we just have a much longer lifespan than humans, and we also age much slower than a human as well."

"So, what exactly are vampires like, Akira-kun?" Shiho asked, sitting on the sofa next to Ann.

"Well, most of the vampires from my clan still live over in Europe. The only reason _I_ left was because my father sent me away. To be honest, though, they haven't really changed much. They all run on a bit of a one-track mind, y'know? They're kinda like little kids." Akira chuckled fondly at the memories of his clan members.

"How so?"

"For one, most of them hardly ever leave their houses except to feed. They think that everyone they see is another vampire hunter out to get them, even though there are rarely any of them left these days."

"Wait, you mean that there are still people who hunt vampires?" Ann asked.

"Unfortunately. Although there aren't many, they are still around, and they're more powerful than ever, so we still have to be careful."

"So that's why you were so scared of tellin' people..." Ryuji stated solemnly.

"Well, it is _part_ of the reason. The truth is, vampire hunters aren't the only people I have to look out for..." Akira sighed sadly, head lowered.

"What do you mean?"

"When I fled from Europe and left my clan behind, I was labelled as a traitor. The clan has a special group of bounty hunters, and they're all incredibly powerful vampires. If they learn of my whereabouts, they'll hunt me down and kill me just to keep me from spilling any secrets to enemy clans."

Makoto and Shiho gasped in shock, while Ann covered her mouth in abstract horror. Ryuji slammed his foot down.

"That's _bullshit_!" He screamed. Ann spun around to face him.

"Ryuji, _quiet down_!"

"I can't help it! That ain't right..."

During their moment of collective shock and anger over Akira's unfortunate situation, none of them noticed the soft padding of footsteps moving up the attic steps. Then, a voice snorted from the corner. The other occupants of the room turned to look at the source, which turned out to be Morgana, Akira's cat.

"So, you decided to tell them, huh? You sure that was a good idea?" Morgana asked, walking over and jumping up to rest on Akira's shoulder. The other teens shrunk back and Ann let out a high-pitched noise somewhere between a shriek and a cough.

"D-did your cat just... _talk_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We learn a bit about who this mysterious 'Creed' group is.
> 
> Also, why do they only hear Morgana now?


	17. Weird Artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Morgana explain a bit about how familiars work.  
> Also, Akira has an odd first encounter with an eccentric artist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I managed to finish this chapter before Valentine's Day! Also, today's my mom's birthday, so yay for her. ^^  
> If I have time, I'll write a Valentine's Day-themed one-shot for Valentine's Day (which is kinda ironic, considering my first Persona 5 series was 'Happy Valentine's Day!').
> 
> Please read the notes at the end of the chapter if you're interested in a little angsty one-shot I'm working on.

"D-did your cat just... _talk_?" Ann squeaked, shrinking back. Shiho gripped tightly on Ann's sleeve, while Makoto shielded her face with her hands, murmuring something about a 'monster cat'. Morgana stared longingly at the blonde girl for a moment before shaking his head. Akira could practically see the hearts floating above his head.

"I can see why you may be confused, Miss, but I'm not a cat." Morgana replied surprisingly softly, tail standing up in pride. Ryuji gaped open-mouthed.

"Well, then what the hell _are_ you? 'Cause you say you're not a cat, but you look an awful lot like one."

Morgana glared at Ryuji in annoyance.

"I'm Akira's familiar. I simply took the form of a cat when he summoned me because it was what he was most accustomed to!" Morgana stated matter-of-factly, ears flattening a bit in apprehension.

"Familiar? Is that like a partner?" Shiho asked, no longer hiding behind Ann.

"In a way. You see, when a vampire becomes strong enough, they can use this summoning spell, which allows them to summon their familiar. They take a certain form that is unique to each vampire, and they help accompany the vampire in tasks like hunting, gathering, and spell-making."

"If you could truly talk this whole time, why is it that _we_ could never hear you?" Makoto asked.

"That's because you learned Akira's identity as a vampire. You see, to an ordinary person who doesn't know Akira's secret, I look and sound just like a regular cat, but the moment your mind registers that Akira isn't a normal human, your perception of him changes, which also extends to myself. Think of it as a... _change in cognition_ , if you will."

The room let out a collective ' _ohh_ ' in understanding.

"Wait, I thought spells were, like, a _witch_ thing." Ann asked, face twisting in confusion. Akira decided he'd explain this one.

"Well, it _is_ , but we can use spells as well." Ryuji made a choking noise.

"Y-you mean witches are _real_?" Akira stared at him for a long moment as if to say 'duh'.

"Yeah...? I thought that was obvious."

" _It wasn't!_ "

 

* * *

  
After his friends left, Akira slumped down onto his 'bed', slinging an arm over his face. He found himself laughing with relief, and though he tried to stop it, a few tears escaped their threshold and streaked down his face. Morgana looked at him with understanding, curling up beside him on the bed.

"Did you tell them, or...?"

"They found out." Akira replied quickly. Morgana sighed wearily, clearly unimpressed, but not exactly angry either.

"You _really_ have to be more careful about this. I _know_ you want to make friends here, but you don't know who you can trust, either." Morgana reprimanded him halfheartedly.

"...I know. I'm sorry for making you worry, Mona." Akira smiled fondly, rolling onto his side to scratch the feline behind his ears. Morgana purred contentedly.

"W-well, maybe you should start taking me with you whenever you go out. I was trying to give you some privacy for the sake of not making you seem suspicious, but perhaps this would be for the best."

Akira nodded wordlessly. After a few moments of silence, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, accompanied only by the sounds of soft purring against his hand and his own breathing.

 

* * *

  
The following day was, thankfully, a Sunday, so he had some time to himself to do whatever he pleased. He supposed a walk through Inokashira Park would help clear his racing thoughts.

The breeze was nice, and allowed him to just take in the fresh air. He stretched his arms above his head, and suddenly a voice from somewhere behind him cut into his serene silence.

"Hold that pose!"

Akira turned to look at the source of the odd command and saw a boy who honestly looked no older than 18 holding his hands up, making L's with his fingers, framing Akira's image from behind. Akira flushed uneasily. Who was this guy?

"Uh, can I...help you?" Akira murmured. The boy was even squinting in deep concentration.

"..."

When he received no response, Akira fully turned to face the boy and nearly did a double-take. This guy was _tall_! The boy furrowed his brows in apparent irritation and lowered his hands, but the look was quickly replaced with a neutral expression.

"Oh, I apologize. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I'm a second-year at Kosei High in the Fine Arts division."

Oh. So he was the eccentric artsy type, huh?

"Oh, I see. My name is, uh, Akira Kurusu." Akira responded, rubbing the back of his neck. Somehow, this situation was incredibly uncomfortable. Yusuke practically leapt forward, taking one of Akira's hands in his own.

"Pardon me if this is a bit forward, but I knew the moment I first saw you that you were the one that I've been searching for! Your mysterious allure drew me to you. _Please_ , won't you-"

 _Woah_ , wait. Wasn't this going a bit too fast? Akira could feel his whole face down to his neck burn in embarrassment.

"Be the model for my next art piece?"

Oh. _Oh..._

Akira became impossibly redder. _Of course_ he was talking about art. Why would he be talking about anything else?

"I, uh, I'll think about it." Akira fumbled over his words, suddenly finding the grass beneath his feet to be incredibly interesting.

"Please do! Here's my contact information. I'll text you later with more details." Yusuke bowed, his lanky figure making the gesture rather awkward, and turned to leave.

" _Well_ , that was... something else." Morgana popped his head out of Akira's bag, making the dark-haired teen jump. He'd nearly forgotten that he had Morgana with him.

"You always seem to attract the _weird_ ones, don't you?" Morgana said after a moment, voice laced with amusement.

"And you're just enjoying all of this, aren't you?" Akira shot back.

"Yup."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are in for a storm. I'm writing an angsty one-shot that's gonna deal with some really tough subjects like depression, child abuse/neglect, self-harm, and suicide. I plan to have it done within the week. Look forward to it!


	18. Model for Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira agrees to model for Yusuke, however, it seems that the boy doesn't lead a very happy home life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR GOING AWOL! I've spent the last week and a half sick with the flu.  
> But, to make up for the long break, I've written a longer chapter for you all. Have a beautiful art boi.

Akira wasn't sure how to feel about this... eccentric person he'd met. Sure, he was a bit _odd_ , but then again, he _did_ say he was an art student. Akira had heard plenty of things about artists. In the end, Akira decided that the guy seemed harmless, and that he'd agree to model for him. However, if he tried anything funny, he wouldn't hesitate to snap the boy's neck.

You could never be _too_ careful...

 

* * *

  
The next day, on his way home from school, Akira stopped by the small second-hand thrift shop just across from the alley Leblanc was situated in. The old man tending the shop gave him a polite smile upon his approach.

"Welcome!"

Akira scanned the items lined up on the tables, looking for anything that could be useful to him. In the back, something caught his eye. An old CRT television sat under a shelf behind some boxes. He stepped closer and crouched down to examine the dusty television unit.

"Oh, you're interested in that?" The old man approached him, leaning down to pull the television out from under the shelves. He hoisted it up onto a nearby table for Akira to see and let out a strained huff.

"It's a bit old, but it works just fine." The man patted the top of the box fondly. Akira pondered for a moment before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

"I'll take it." The old man's eyes lit up.

"I never thought I'd see the day that I'd finally sell this thing. Nobody wanted some dusty old TV. For _you_ , though... I'll throw in a DVD player as thanks. Does Leblanc work as your shipping address?"

Akira payed the man and thanked him gratefully before heading back to the cafe.

 

* * *

  
When Akira finally finished washing the leftover dishes, he trekked upstairs. Setting his school bag down on the table by the stairs, Morgana leapt out and happily stretched.

"Why do you have to carry around so much junk in there?" He cried.

"Just to irritate you." Akira shot back, smirking playfully at the cat.

Akira kicked off his shoes and flopped down onto the futon, letting out an exhausted sigh. Before he could get too comfortable, his phone buzzed, letting him know that someone had sent him a message. He pulled his phone out and flipped to his messenger app. It was Yusuke.

  
**Yusuke:** Sensei will be attending a meeting for his upcoming exhibit tomorrow afternoon, so I will have the atelier to myself. We could get started then if you'd like, however, it must be sometime before Sensei's exhibit ends.

Akira chuckled.

Yusuke spoke way too formally for a seventeen-year-old. It was almost comical.

  
**Akira:** Sure, we could start tomorrow. What time should I be there?

 

* * *

  
Akira gawked at the building in front of him. He turned to the mailbox, only to confirm that, _yes_ , this was indeed the atelier that Yusuke apparently _lived_ in. Morgana chuckled from within his bag.

"Whatever you do, don't _sneeze_."

Akira was inclined to agree. The building looked more like the kind of place you'd see deep in the woods where you'd likely get jumped by some creep with a chainsaw.

Unfortunately, Akira had plenty of experience with murderer-inhabited shacks hiding in the woods. Don't ask.

Akira timidly stepped up to the gate and pressed the button on the intercom. A few moments later, the speaker buzzed, and Yusuke's voice came through.

"Who is it?"

Akira rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's, uh... Akira Kurusu." He felt his face flush in embarrassment. Why was he so awkward?

Fortunately, Yusuke wasted no time in flinging the door open, a smile on his face.

" _You_ _came_!"

Akira grinned back, waving awkwardly.

"Yup."

 

* * *

  
Yusuke led him into the atelier, and Akira found that it wasn't quite as bad as he'd been imagining it to be. The floors were bare and the air was musty (much like up in his attic). Akira winced a bit at the humidity in the building, which made it a bit hard for him to breathe.

The closer he looked, though, the more he noticed a distinct lack of _anything_ that could be used for comfort or entertainment.

They ended up in a room at one end of the hall, lined with shelves full of books and paints. An easel and a wooden stool were set up in the center of the room. Yusuke drew back the curtains, allowing the light to flood into the room. Finally, he turned to Akira.

"Shall we get started?"

Akira nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He had a bad feeling about this place. Yusuke seemed fine enough, but the _building_... The air was stagnating, causing an odd feeling to settle into the pit of his stomach.

Akira lowered himself onto the stool. He allowed Yusuke to direct him into his desired position before he practically jumped behind his canvas, wielding a brush. Yusuke took a moment to frame Akira with his hands before finally turning to the canvas to get to work.

 

* * *

  
The next couple of hours passed in silence, save for the occasional grunts and hums of concentration from Yusuke. Akira tried his hardest not to move too much, abjectly staring into the corner of the room. After what felt like ages, Yusuke dropped his head, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"It's no good."

Akira turned to Yusuke, feeling slightly guilty for some reason.

"I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" He asked. Yusuke shook his head.

"No, you did just fine. I apologize, but I seem to be having a hard time focusing today..." Yusuke muttered, dragging a hand down over his face. He glanced at Akira for a moment before quickly jerking his gaze back to his canvas, looking almost... _nervous_?

" _Well_ ," Akira began, standing from the stool, "maybe you just don't have the right inspiration." Yusuke thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"That's likely true. I feel as though I haven't been able to create any good pieces lately."

Akira stepped over towards Yusuke.

"Maybe you just need a change of pace; a different _atmosphere_." Yusuke stared at him, perplexed.

"What are you suggesting?" He asked, genuinely at a loss.

"What if we tried this somewhere else? I mean, this place is kinda... _y'know_ , and it's probably hard for you to find the motivation you're looking for all cooped up in here." Yusuke's eyes flashed in understanding.

"I see... You're not entirely wrong about that. It is rather hard to focus at times here. Perhaps you're right."

Akira smiled. It'd probably be good to get this guy out of the house for a while. The fresh air would do him good.

"So, what do you say we try this again tomorrow? I'll text you the place to meet up." Yusuke nodded, renewed vigor shining in his eyes.

"Very well!"

 

* * *

  
The next day, after school ended, Akira rushed home to change into his street clothes, then started towards the park he'd told Yusuke about. The previous night, he'd spent some time looking up calm, scenic areas in Tokyo, and this was one of the best places he'd found.

When he arrived, he found Yusuke was there waiting for him, already set up beside a tree near the water. He was furiously scribbling away in a sketchbook. As Akira approached, the other male must have heard his nearing footsteps, because he jumped with a start and hurriedly slammed his sketchbook closed, tucking it away into a bag at his feet. Akira was a bit curious, but decided it was best not to pry. It wasn't any of his concern, after all.

Yusuke spun around to greet him.

"Ah, there you are!" He smiled and brushed a few loose strands of hair out of his face.

"Were you waiting long?" Akira asked.

"Not at all." Yusuke shook his head.

Akira removed his glasses, tucking them into his pocket, and took a seat on the ground, leaning himself up against the tree.

The two began again, this time with a much more pleasant atmosphere surrounding them. The silence this time was less suffocating, and was instead relaxing.

 

* * *

  
As time passed, Akira found himself becoming a bit drowsy. Just as he was about to drift off into a light slumber, Yusuke suddenly shouts out, nearly causing Akira to smash his head on the tree behind him.

"I've done it!" Yusuke proudly holds his sketchbook up into the air as though it were the holy grail itself.

"Wh- _You did_?" Akira pulls himself to his feet just in time for Yusuke to turn the book in his hands and all but shove it in Akira's face.

The image on the page before him nearly took his breath away. He was sitting back against the tree, a single knee drawn up to his chest, an arm slung over it. His hair framed his face, which appeared so much more elegant without his glasses. His eyes were closed peacefully, long eyelashes all the more clear to see.

It was, for lack of a better word, _stunning_.

Akira stared at the drawing, utterly captivated by the raw talent and beauty displayed within it.

"Yusuke, this is... _amazing_."

The other boy averted his gaze, instead choosing to stare down at the ground, face flushed from the compliment.

"I... _Thank you_ , Akira. I think this will make a splendid portrait."

 

* * *

  
Akira chatted casually with the dark-haired artist while he cleaned up. Somehow, the boy seemed bothered by something, and Akira wasn't sure why. At least, not until his stomach let out a vicious growl. Akira stared at Yusuke, speechless. Yusuke slowly turned to him, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Are you hungry?" Akira asked, still staring.

For a long time, Yusuke said nothing. After some time, though, he just nodded.

"Come with me."

 

* * *

  
Yusuke glanced around the small cafe, bag slung over his shoulder. Sojiro looked up as the bell over the door rang. He raised an eyebrow.

"Who's this?" He asked. Yusuke turned to Sojiro and bowed politely.

"Pardon my intrusion. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa."

Sojiro seemed a bit taken-aback by the teen's politeness. He quickly shook it off and offered the boy a cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, Akira slunk into the back, slipping on an apron and rummaging through the fridge. Once he had the ingredients he needed, he turned back to Yusuke, who sat blissfully sipping coffee.

"How do you like your curry?"

Yusuke smiled.

"I don't mind, however, I'd like to ask for extra rice."

 

* * *

  
When Akira finished dishing out a few servings of the curry, he slid into a seat beside Yusuke and began to eat. Sojiro also tried his curry. The three took their first few bites in silence. Sojiro set down his fork, looking at Akira, an indescribable expression on his face.

' _Uh oh, did I make it wrong? Is it too spicy?_ '

Then, Sojiro broke out into a soft smile, leaning over the counter to ruffle Akira's hair.

"It's not bad. I can tell you've been practicing. Good job, kid."

Yusuke nodded, eyes wide.

"... _Delicious_. What's in this? It's a common curry flavor, yet it has so much _depth_."

Sojiro chuckled.

"It's a family secret."

The three of them enjoyed their meals in a welcome silence. When it was time for Yusuke to leave, he saw him off to the station.

When Akira finally flopped into bed that night, Morgana lifted his head, curled up beside the messy-haired teen.

"That Kitagawa-kun seems to like you..."

Akira nodded wordlessly, eyes closed.

"So, what made you decide to bring him over here?"

Akira cracked open an eye before answering.

"Well, to be honest, he seemed _lonely_. Not to mention that he doesn't seem to have great living conditions. I just felt like I needed to bring him here, y'know, just to get away for a little while."

Morgana nodded slowly.

"Just be careful, Akira..."

Akira ran his fingers through the soft fur, closing his eyes once more. He eventually drifted off to sleep with a certain eccentric artist on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all notice the new relationship tag? I wonder... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	19. Premonition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira has a premonition, and it'll take all of his power to avoid this future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another slightly longer chapter for y'all.  
> I'm getting a bit better; I'm still coughing pretty bad, but other than that, I've pretty much gotten over it.  
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Akira felt sluggish, and he struggled to open his eyes. When his sight focused enough to determine his surroundings, he found that he didn't recognize the room he was in at all. Grey, unwelcoming walls and bare concrete floors. He was sitting in a cold metal chair at a table at the back of the small room.

His head spun. Just what happened? Before he could even collect his thoughts, the door opened with a click. Akira's sight went fuzzy, and a figure stepped into the room, approaching him in front of the table. Something about the person was _so familiar_ , but Akira's mind was so hazy that he couldn't even focus on the person right in front of him. Then, the figure spoke, voice distorted.

" _You look so surprised. Did you really think you could evade me forever? How naive. You took down every single target I had set up for you, and you fell right into my trap. Your own self-righteous 'justice' ended up being your ultimate downfall. Funny, isn't it?_ " The figure sounded almost amused.

" _Although, I must thank you, Akira. You were a vital part of my plan._ "

The person pulled a gun out of their coat pocket and cocked it. Akira felt a sense of cold dread as he realized what was about to happen, and he was completely powerless to stop it.

" ** _Case closed. This is how your justice ends..._** " They lifted their arm, pointing the barrel of the gun directly against Akira's temple, and-

A blinding white flash filled his vision as a muffled gunshot resounded in the room, and then everything went dark.

 

* * *

  
Akira bolted upright in bed, body soaked in a cold sweat. He heaved in a breath, eyes frantically darting around the room. His shoulders sagged in relief when he saw the dusty walls and shelves of the attic, and not the cold, unnerving walls from his dream.

' _No,_ ' Akira realized, a heavy pit forming in his stomach, ' _that was no dream. That was a vision..._ '

Something rustled beside him, and he nearly jumped.

"Akira, what _was_ that?" Morgana cried, eyes wide.

"I don't know. I think it was a vision, but I'm not sure." Akira stared down at his lap in deep thought, tightly gripping the edges of the blanket into a ball.

"How so?"

Akira thought for a moment.

"The person in the dream... I couldn't see their face at all, but I _know_ that I've met them before. Their voice, too. It was so distorted, so I couldn't make out who it was, but there was something _so familiar_ about it..." Morgana nodded.

"We need to figure out who that was, and _fast_. Your _life's_ on the line here!" Morgana jumped up onto Akira's lap, his fur apprehensively standing up on end. Akira nodded in agreement. He already had an idea who was behind that blurry face.

 

* * *

  
Akira numbly walked to class, body running on autopilot. His mind was racing with every person he'd met since coming to Japan. Of course, they only person who stood out in his mind was that brunette boy he'd met that night in the alleyway. _Goro Akechi_ , the Detective Prince. Akira's eyes narrowed subconsciously as he recalled that night once again. He'd found it odd that he wasn't affected by his Third Eye. Of course, he'd ultimately written it off as paranoia. There was surely some reasonable explanation for it, right? Akira wanted to hit himself for being so stupid. He didn't notice Ann turning around in her seat to greet him, her cheerful smile quickly changing into a more concerned look.

"Akira, are you okay? You look _awful_. Are you not feeling well?" Ann leaned in to get a better look at the raven-haired teen, placing her hand over his forehead. Akira shook his head.

"No, I'm not sick or anything."

Ann looked unconvinced.

"Well then, what's wrong?"

Akira warily glanced around the room, looking to make sure nobody was listening in as he leaned in and spoke with a whisper.

"I'll tell you tonight. Meet me at Leblanc after school. Bring the others, too."

 

* * *

  
When Akira finally made it to back to the cafe, he swung open the front door, prepared to greet Sojiro, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the one other patron sitting casually at the bar, sipping at a cup of coffee. He turned to look at Akira when he heard the bell above the door chime.

" _Akechi_?" Akira felt a thick knot tug at his insides at the sudden presence of the brunette. Akechi smiled pleasantly at him. The boy was clad in an almost nerdy-looking sweater vest and a pair of khaki slacks. Somehow, even though the outfit itself was somewhat annoying to look at, it actually accentuated the brunette rather well. _In an odd way..._

"Ah, what a coincidence. We meet again."

Sojiro eyed the two teenagers oddly.

"You know him?"

Akira nodded. He had to _extremely_ careful with what he said around this guy.

' _Morgana, whatever you do, don't say anything._ ' He eyed the cat whom was currently pressing himself deeper down inside the bag, careful not to let himself be seen. The feline momentarily glanced up at him, nodding.

"Yeah, we briefly met before."

"I see..." Sojiro trailed off, turning and busying himself with preparing a new pot of coffee.

Akira quickly scurried upstairs once the attention was no longer directed at himself. He set down the bag on the table, allowing Morgana to crawl out.

"Akira, he's _here_! This is bad!" Morgana whisper-shouted, tail swishing furiously out of anxiety.

"I know! I can't just tell him to leave though, because that'll just seem suspicious. Plus, Boss'll be mad if I said that to a customer." Akira kept his own voice at a whisper, so as to ensure that neither of the building's occupants in the floor below could not overhear him.

"What are you going to do, then?" Morgana asked.

"I'm just going to go down there and pretend to work. Maybe if I can strike up a conversation with him, I can learn something."

Morgana padded forward, standing up on his hind legs to rest his front paws in Akira's own, much larger hands.

" _Be careful_."

 

* * *

  
The cafe was unnervingly quiet. Sojiro ended up having to run out early after answering a phone call. He claimed that he had errands to run, but Akira suspected that there was more to it than that, but chose not to say anything. After all, it was better that Sojiro wasn't around, especially if his conversation with the detective doesn't go the way Akira plans.

"So, _Mr. Detective_ , what brings you to Cafe Leblanc?" Akira asks, keeping his tone casual. The brunette took another sip of his coffee before answering.

"My coworker recommended this place to me. I guess she's a regular here." He said, voice as level and sickeningly-sweet as always.

" _Oh?_ "

"Yes. You may have seen her here once or twice. Sae Niijima."

Akira stilled as the name sunk into his head.

Sae Niijima.

 _Niijima_.

Was it possible that this Sae Niijima was-?

"I was honestly surprised to see you here. I never would have imagined that we'd run into one another again at a place like this. Do you work here?" Akechi asked, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Something like that." Akira answered.

The next few moments found the room filled with a deafening silence. Akechi's gaze fell to his lap as he set his cup down. A different kind of expression painted his face; a small smile. It was completely different from any of the other smiles he'd seen on the detective's face. It seemed...genuine.

"You know, I just realized that I haven't even asked your name yet. My apologies." Akechi looked a bit surprised at himself as he blurted these words out. Akira's eyes widened. Then, he smiled.

"It's Akira. Akira Kurusu." Jokingly, he extended his hand out towards the detective in a greeting. What he hadn't expected was for the boy to take his hand into his own, giving it a firm shake. The brunette laughed as he pulled away.

"It's nice to meet you Kurusu-kun. My name is Goro Akechi." Akira was stunned for a moment. Then he burst out into laughter.

"Nice meeting you, too, _stranger_."

After that, the atmosphere of the room lightened tenfold. For a moment, Akira almost forgot that the person sitting only about a foot away from him was supposed to be the focus of his suspicions.

Then the front door opened.

"We're here, Akira! Now we can t-" Ann trailed off as she took in who was sitting at the bar before her.

"Wait, _Akechi-kun?_ What are you doing here?" Ann asked incredulously.

Akechi stared back at the four new teens, looking almost out of place.

He was clearly pretending not to notice the dark look Makoto was sending him.

"Ah... Well, I just thought I'd give this place a visit. I suppose I wasn't expecting to find it so relaxing here; I believe I may have overstayed my welcome. Pardon me." Akechi stood and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He fished out some coins and placed them onto the bar. Then he made for the exit. He stopped just before the door and tilted his head to look back at Akira.

"I think I'll come back again sometime. I look forward to talking with you again." With that plastic smile of his, Akechi left. The four all stared dumbfoundedly at the spot where the detective had been standing only mere seconds ago. Slowly, Ann turned to address Akira.

" _So_ , uh... You wanted to talk?"

 

* * *

  
Akira herded his three friends into the attic. They all took their respective seats, all eyes on Akira.

"The reason I asked you all here is because last night, I had a premonition."

"Premonition? You mean like, you saw the _future_? What was it like?" Ryuji was nearly jumping out of his seat. Ann smacked him.

" _Ryuji_ , let him finish!"

Makoto clasped her hands together, face stern.

"What kind of premonition?"

Akira hesitated.

"I saw that, if things continue the way they are now, I'm going to die."

Everyone stilled at Akira's words. Suddenly, everyone was much more intent on what he had to say.

" _Die_? What do you mean?" Shiho asked, voice raised.

"Well, you already know how dangerous it is for people to learn about my true identity, because unfortunately, I have no way of telling just by looks alone if someone may actually be a vampire hunter or not. This is why they have such an advantage over us, because they can often tell a regular person apart from a vampire just by _looking_ at them."

"So, what does that have to do with you?" Ryuji asked, scratching his head.

Makoto sighed, shaking her head.

"I think what Akira-kun is trying to say is that he may have been spotted by a vampire hunter."

"Woah... That's _bad_ , man!" Ryuji looked slightly panicked.

"Do you know who it is?" Ann asked.

"Well, I might have an idea, but I can't say for certain that it's him..." Akira looked to the side, deep in thought.

"Who are you thinking it is?" Makoto asked.

"I think...it's Akechi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hit with a random idea last night, and the next thing I knew, it turned itself into an angsty ShuAke prompt. This one'll probably be a bit longer, but I may take a short break from this series to write it.
> 
> Also, I have some bad news. Unfortunately, the other series I was writing, 'Time's Up', just isn't going the way I wanted. I've been stuck on it for the past month and just haven't been able to get past that creative writer's block. For now, I will not be continuing it. This may change later if I get some inspiration.


	20. Ominous Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira explains the night he first encountered Akechi, and later finds himself conversing with a formidable stranger through text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy April Fools Day! Guess who's back from the dead? I've been sick for the past three weeks now, but I think I'm finally starting to get better. Let's hope I don't catch something else.
> 
> This chapter is short, but it starts delving into the fun stuff, so buckle in.
> 
> And no, this chapter is not a troll. But I do plan on doing something for today, so look out for new stuff from me later today. ;)

The room erupted in a mixture of shocked gasps and scoffs.

"Akira, are you _sure_ it's him? That's a very bold accusation." Makoto asked, voice lowered to a near-whisper, as though the person in question could somehow hear them.

"Well, I can't exactly say for certain that it's him, but I have a pretty strong suspicion that it is." Akira slumped back onto his bed.

"How, though?" Ann asked.

"Well," Akira started, "do you guys remember our trip to the television station? When he approached us in the hallway?" The group collectively nodded, and Akira continued.

"We were talking about where to go for lunch, and Morgana had said something about a pancake place. In fact, Morgana was the _only_ one to mention anything about pancakes, and nobody besides myself should have heard him, but do you remember what Akechi said?"  
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy as his friends all came to the same realization.

"Akechi had heard Morgana talk." Shiho stated. Akira nodded grimly.

"That's not all."

His friends all looked to him, waiting for him to elaborate. He looked away in embarrassment.

"Um... A while after I moved here, I actually took Morgana out with me into Shibuya one night." He began, face burning.

"Wait, what were you doin' out there?" Ryuji asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Akira avoided looking directly at any of his friends' faces. There was just something _weird_ about talking about his feeding process out loud.

"I was, uh... _hunting_." He finally answered. Makoto perked up.

"You never did get to explain how you hunt your victims without being seen. Is it the same way you took down Kamoshida?" She asked, eyes wide in excitement. Ann turned to her and shushed her.

"Hey, he's trying to tell us something. Don't go sidetracking him!" She scolded.

"Well, to answer your question... Yes and no. You already know, but I'm not a very powerful vampire. I have a really limited range of spells and abilities that I can use. One of the abilities that all vampires have, however, is called the Third Eye. It's primarily used for hunting, but there aren't really any limitations to how it's used. It essentially allows us to brainwash our victims simply by looking into their eyes."

"What does this have to do with what you were saying?" Ryuji groaned, earning him a whack to the head.

"The thing is, the Third Eye can brainwash anyone... _except_ a vampire hunter. They're _completely_ immune to the effects of the Third Eye. Well, that night, I had Morgana help me lure someone into an alleyway. That person was Akechi."

Akira was met with a chorus of shocked gasps at the new revelation.

"Yeah. I tried to use the Third Eye on him, but it didn't work. At the time, I wasn't sure if it was because he actually was a hunter or if there was some other factor at work, but now I'm almost certain."

"So Akechi-kun is a vampire hunter... and now he likely knows about your identity as a vampire..." Makoto stated solemnly. A long silence filled the room as the gravity of the situation settled on them.

 

* * *

  
"We're going to need a plan of some kind." Morgana stared up at the dark-haired boy.

"I know. I'm just...not sure how to go about it."

"Well," Morgana started, "we don't have any definitive proof that he knows yet, so for now, just keep your guard up. Try getting closer to him. Maybe if you can get him to see you as a friend, we can get some kind of information out of him."

"Maybe..." Akira trailed off, deep in thought. Their conversation was cut short as Akira's cellphone buzzed, signalling an incoming message. Akira pulled out his phone and opened his messaging app, and stared blankly at the unknown profile displayed on the screen.

The user was someone simply named, ' _Alibaba_ '. The profile image was of some odd cat-like face with a wicked, jagged mouth. As he read the first message, his heart dropped to his feet. It read:

  
  
 **Alibaba:** Akira Kurusu. I know your secret.

  
  
"What's wrong? Who is it?" Morgana asked, voice rising in concern. He leaped up onto the bed and peered past Akira's hand to read the text.

" _What the_ -?" He spluttered, eyes frantically darting back and forth between the profile's image and the message. Suddenly, he whipped his head around to look up at Akira.

"Do you think it's _him_?"

As if on cue, Akira's phone buzzed as 'Alibaba' sent another string of messages.

  
  
 **Alibaba:** You don't need to know who I am.  
  
 **Alibaba:** The important thing is, I have a proposition for you.

  
  
' _A proposition?_ ' Akira's head spun. He felt as though he were in some kind of horror movie, what with how violently his heart was pounding in his chest.

  
  
 **Alibaba:** I need your help, Mr. "Phantom Thief of Hearts".  
  
 **Alibaba:** There is someone whose heart I want you to change, and I believe you have the power to do that, right? If you refuse, or if you are not successful, I will let a certain detective know that Akira Kurusu is a vampire, and that he is the one who killed Suguru Kamoshida.

  
  
Akira's blood ran cold in his veins as he read the latest message. Whoever this person was, they _knew_. They _knew_ not only that Akira was a vampire, but they knew that he was the one who was behind Kaneshiro's sudden change of heart and Kamoshida's death.

 _This was serious_.

Hands trembling, Akira forced his fingers to type out a response.

  
  
 **Akira:** And how do I know that you won't sell me out either way?

  
  
The response was almost immediate.

  
  
 **Alibaba:** I suppose you can't. But in the end, you have two options. You can accept my offer, or you can deal with the authorities. It's your choice.

  
  
" _Dammit_. They've got us backed into a corner! We don't even have a choice here..." Morgana hissed.

  
  
 **Alibaba:** I'll give you the rest of today to sleep on it. I'll contact you again tomorrow with more details.

  
  
Akira tried to type out a response, but all he received was an error message. There was no longer any contact for him to send the message _to_. Now he was left staring blankly at his message logs, no trace of an 'Alibaba' anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UwU  
> A wild hacker appears!  
> What's Akira gonna do now?


	21. Alibaba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Morgana try to find out who this mysterious 'Alibaba' really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhh you guys are awesome!  
> I'm honestly not sure why anyone likes my work at all, but for as long as people do, I'll keep writing.

Akira didn't sleep that night. All he could do was lie awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling with a heavy weight sitting in his gut. When the sun finally rose, he couldn't stay still any longer, and he finally sprang up out of bed and all but threw on his clothes. He made sure to check his phone again; nothing.

 

* * *

  
It was during his social studies class towards the latter half of the school day when his phone finally buzzed in his pocket, alerting him of an incoming message. He pulled it out, hiding it within the desk. Sure enough, it was Alibaba again.

 **Alibaba:** Have you made a decision?

  
**Akira:** It's not like I have a choice. Besides, you still haven't told me who you want me to go for.

  
The response was instant. Akira could practically feel the irritation oozing through the screen.

  
**Alibaba:** I was getting to that.

  
**Alibaba:** Anyways, I've already provided you with the necessary tools. You can take the rest from there.

  
Akira paused.

' _Necessary tools? What do they mean by that?_ '

  
**Alibaba:** The girl whose heart I want you to change is Futaba Sakura.

  
Akira read the name a few times. Somehow, it seemed familiar. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him.

' _Wait. Isn't that Boss's last name?_ ' Akira paled as the idea settled in. He didn't want to think that this person could be related to Sojiro, but it was a definite possibility.

 

* * *

  
When he got back to Leblanc, he was relieved to find Sojiro still behind the counter. Akira let out a sigh to find that there weren't any customers at the moment.

"Welcome back." Sojiro gave him a curt nod in greeting. Akira stood awkwardly near the door. He knew he needed to ask, but he was afraid of coming off as rude or nosy.

"What are you standing around like a lost dog for?" Sojiro glanced at him suspiciously, eyebrows furrowed.

"Um, I wanted to ask you something..." Akira started.

"Shoot." Sojiro looked back down at the coffee pot he was tending to, likely only half-listening. Akira took a deep breath, summoning the courage to speak the words in his mind.

"Do you... know anyone named Futaba?" Akira asked. The moment the girl's name left his lips, Sojiro's head jerked up, an angry scowl marring his face.

"Where did you hear about her? _Who told you_?" Sojiro hissed. Instinctively, Akira recoiled back. The look in his eyes... There was rage, yes, but there was something else reflected in his eyes, too.

 _It was fear_.

"N-nobody told me. I just... happened to overhear you talking on the phone, and I remember you calling the person 'Futaba', so I... was a little curious." Akira fiddled with the hem of his shirt, finding himself unable to even look the man in the eyes.

"It's not any of your business." Sojiro's tone was still just as sharp, but his voice had considerably lowered in volume. The man huffed in apparent relief and slouched forward, eyes casting downwards to the counter top.

"Just... _go upstairs_." He commanded, voice low and distraught. Akira could take a hint. He scrambled up the attic stairs.

 

* * *

  
"I guess asking him _directly_ won't work..." Morgana sighed, pacing back and forth on the floor. Akira hummed, deep in thought. Then, he jumped up, startling the black feline.

"Maybe the key to finding out who Futaba is is finding out who this 'Alibaba' is. I mean, they _must_ know her if they're asking me to target her."

Morgana thought for a moment.

"Maybe you're right. 'Alibaba' may be able to cover their tracks well enough, but they slipped up by revealing that they know you're a vampire. This already narrows down the list of candidates."

Akira nodded.

"Exactly. There aren't many people who know about me, and I think I've done a pretty good job hiding my secret. So that leaves us with the possibility that it's either someone close to me who I've told my secret to, or someone who's really good at sneaking about. There's also the possibility that it could be Akechi, if my suspicions about him are true..." Akira trailed off. Morgana gave a satisfactory hum.

"Yup. I personally don't think it's any of _them_ , though. _Especially_ not Ryuji. He seems way too _stupid_ to be able to do stuff like this." Akira gave the cat a playfully stern look for the remark.

"Honestly, I don't think it's any of them, either. They just don't seem like the kind of people who would do any of that..." Akira looked around the room as he wracked his brain.

" _Wait_ ," he raised a hand as though to quiet someone (even though no one was talking besides him), and turned to face Morgana, "this is just a thought but, we know that 'Alibaba' must _know_ Futaba, right?" Akira began. Morgana simply nodded, taking in the ravenette's words.

"What if... 'Alibaba' _is_ Futaba?"

Morgana cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, imagine that Alibaba and Futaba are the same person. If Futaba felt like she were 'corrupt' in some way, and she wanted to reach out somehow, she wouldn't naturally do so as _herself_. I mean, I don't really understand why she'd use a username that sounds so much like her own name if she was trying to hide it..." Akira trailed off. Morgana's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Akira, you might be onto something!" He jumped up, perching himself onto the edge of the bed.

"Maybe you should ask about it the next time th-" Morgana's words were cut off by the buzzing of Akira's phone. He turned it on, already having an idea who it was.

  
**Alibaba:** Aren't you going to do it?

  
Akira wasted no time in typing out a response.

  
**Akira:** I would, but I have no way of knowing who Futaba is on my own. You're going to need to give me more details, or I can't do it.

  
**Akira:** Do you think there's a way we could meet up? I would like to discuss it with you.

  
The next couple of responses took longer.

  
**Alibaba:** Meet up?

  
**Alibaba:**  That would be a bit difficult.

 

 **Alibaba** **:** There's a reason that I can't leave. That's why I'm contacting you like this.

 

 **Alibaba:** Wait. Let me think.

 

For a long moment, the 'typing' icon appeared on screen, disappeared, then reappeared again.

Finally, Alibaba responded.

  
**Alibaba:** Nevermind. Our deal is off. Don't look into Futaba Sakura anymore.

 

 **Alibaba:** Forget about this incident. I won't report you either. Sorry for wasting your time.

  
Then, just like that, Alibaba disappeared just as abruptly as they had appeared. Akira squinted at his phone.

"That's definitely suspicious..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsundere Coffee Dad™
> 
> Expect a couple of familiar faces to make an appearance in the next couple of chapters.


	22. Futaba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira overhears a conversation that he was never meant to hear, and now knows that his earlier prediction was true. He devises a plan to infiltrate Sojiro's house to speak to Futaba directly, and now all he has to do is execute it. Things don't go exactly as planned, and Akira finds that there may be more to this family than meets the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is really big. Like, I know it took forever, but that's because it took me so long to write it. I spent at least three days just writing, deleting, and rewriting this chapter alone.  
> Now, I think I'm satisfied with how it's turned out, and I'm ready to blow all of your minds. ;)

Akira was more confused than he'd been in a long time. Some mysterious person by the name of 'Alibaba' threatened him into changing the heart of some girl, but then at the mention of meeting up or going outside, they suddenly change their mind? Was their situation _really_ so complicated that it prevented them from going outdoors or talking to people?

"Well, it's not _all_ bad. I mean, they _did_ say that they weren't going to report you." Morgana stated warily, as though even he didn't believe his own words.

Just then, loud voices rang out from within the cafe below, as though perfectly timed to a T.

It sounded as though Sojiro was arguing with someone. Akira moved closer to the stairs to get a better listen.

"So, would evoking your parental custody be okay? With the condition of your household and your daughter's current mental state, there's no way this would hold up in court." The voice sounded cold and feminine; it seemed like they may be a lawyer or prosecutor by their tone and the subject of the argument. Akira could hear Sojiro growl with rage.

"You're going to go _that_ far? I'm telling you everything that I know!" Sojiro cried out in apparent distress. The woman sighed in defeat.

"Then I'll contact your again later."

"You won't get anything useful out of me. I've already told you everything I know."

"That doesn't matter. Whether it's useful or not is for me to decide. Anyway, the next time I come here, it will simply be to have a nice cup of coffee." Akira could practically hear the smile on the woman's face. It was obvious how she was intentionally riling the man up.

A few moments later, the doorbell jingled, and Akira knew she had left. With a sigh, he leaned back from the stairs.

It was true then, wasn't it? Futaba Sakura was Sojiro's daughter. Akira felt his legs crumple out from underneath him, and he sunk to the floor, limbs feeling like jelly. His mind was reeling.

He had to do _something_ about this, right?

 

* * *

  
That was how Akira found himself outside of Sojiro's house the next day after he got out of school. Sojiro had just left to get some groceries, so he should have at least twenty minutes to do this. Akira glanced down at the box of leftover sushi in his hand. This was a backup just for in case Sojiro ended up returning early. He hesitantly brought his hand up to the doorknob and twisted it. To his surprise, the door was unlocked, allowing him to simply swing the front door open.

He peered into the dark hallway of the entrance, feeling his nerves bubble up. Maybe he should just turn around now, while it was still safe. But the other voice in his conscious wouldn't let him.

' _No, you have to do this. For Boss and for Futaba. This is the only way._ '

With a gulp, Akira took the first step into the house.

Everything was dark, save for a small sliver of light coming from a television in another room. Akira could barely see three feet in front of him. He used his other hand to feel his way down the hall towards the stairs.

"Eek!" A screech echoed from somewhere in the house, making Akira jump and spin around. Was it Futaba who had screamed just now? Why did she scream? A perfectly-timed bolt of lightning lit up the room from through the hall window, and it was just enough to cast a silhouette on the wall just behind him.

Slowly, Akira turned to face whatever was lurking there, only to be met with a shadowy figure with large glasses looking up at him. The figure suddenly lurched back with a start and bolted back upstairs with one final yell. That was when the front door burst open behind him.

" _Futaba_! Are you okay?"

Akira whirled around, heart lurching into his throat. Sojiro was back. The man's eyes landed on him, and they narrowed with a kind of feral rage that Akira had never seen before.

"Who the _hell_ are you? _Don't move_!" Sojiro spat out before leaning towards the shelf by the door to grab the flashlight placed there. When the light finally flicked on to reveal the intruder, Sojiro deflated, eyes widening in surprise.

" _You_? What are you doing here?" Sojiro asked, astonishment evident in his voice. Akira shakily held up the box of sushi that he had completely forgotten about in the events that had just transpired.

 

* * *

  
Back in the warmth and safety of the cafe, Sojiro sat Akira down. Sojiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ah, where should I start? You see, Futaba's mother, Wakaba, was a friend of mine even before Futaba was born. She was a strange woman, but we hit it off. She was smart, looked a bit indifferent at times, but she was totally independent. She was a good person..." Sojiro trailed off, a fond smile and faraway look in his eyes as he recalled his old friend.

"I see." Akira stated quietly.

"She was always so passionate about her job that she'd stay up all hours of the night just to finish some research. I thought that would have changed when she had a kid, but when Futaba was born, nothing really changed at all. Still, though, she took care of her."

"She was a single mother?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. Futaba didn't have a father."

Akira wilted a bit. He knew how Futaba must have felt, growing up not only as an only child, but with only one parent, too?

"So, you mean...?"

"I don't know. She never told me. She had Futaba by herself and raised her by herself too. I guess the stress of having such a child must've been too much for her. She committed suicide."

Akira could already feel the tears building up behind his eyes. He always hated how he was so naturally empathetic of others. When the people close to him felt pain, he felt that pain too. Akira nodded solemnly in understanding, prompting Sojiro to continue.

"One day, she just jumped out in front of a moving car right in front of Futaba's eyes."

He couldn't help but cover his mouth in shock at the admission.

" _My God_... That must have been so hard for her." Sojiro nodded.

"Anyways, a lot's happened, and I ended up taking her in. At first, she just walled herself up in her room. Then, as I talked to her more, I realized... She blames herself for what happened to her mother."

"But why? Why does she think it's _her_ fault." He just couldn't understand. Just what had happened to that girl that made her think that she was the cause of her own mother's death? Sojiro looked away.

"Wakaba...left behind a letter. She said that she just couldn't handle raising Futaba. You see, she's not just a normal child. She's _different_. Wakaba had to do so much just to hide that girl away."

"What do you mean she's ' _not a normal child_ '? Just what _is_ she?" Akira asked. Sojiro looked back to him again, a cold and serious glaze in his eyes.

"She's like _you_ , you know?" He spoke in a low voice. Akira had to pause to think about what he had just said.

' _Futaba is...like me? No, there's no way he can mean_...' Akira could feel the sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Sojiro sighed.

" _Look_ , kid, I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I know about you. What you are. You're one of _them_ , right? A vampire?"

Akira's blood instantly froze in his veins as Sojiro's words echoed in his ears. The whole world around him stopped spinning for a moment, and all he could hear was the static in his head...

Sojiro snapped his fingers, bringing Akira back to the present.

"W-what are you saying? I-"

"Don't even try to make up some lame excuse," Sojiro interjected, "because I already _know_ it's true."

" _How_?" Akira asked quietly, voice croaking.

"You think I wouldn't notice you sneaking out at night? There's an alarm system, you know? Not to mention how that teacher at your school suddenly died like that. With _bite marks_ on his neck. The coroner said that there wasn't even a _drop_ of blood left in his body, huh?"

Akira's face burned in shame. How could he have been so _careless_?

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the door opening. Both turned to face the guest, only to freeze.

There stood a girl with long orange hair flowing just past her waist. She was small and frail-looking, skin pallor. She removed the pair of thick-framed glasses from her face and clutched them to her chest as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. She opened her eyes to reveal a set of blood-red eyes that almost seemed to twinkle back at them.

Futaba stared straight into him, and Akira felt as though his very soul was being laid bare to witness, naked to her probing gaze. Then she flashed him a weak smile, and he saw the gleaming white canines protruding from her mouth.

 

* * *

 

(This is a little image I made via Pixilart of this final scene. Yeah, I kinda skimped on the background details.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did you see it coming~?
> 
> To be honest, I've actually had this twist planned since I came up with this AU. I figured it would make sense plot-wise for Futaba to secretly be a vampire, hence why she's kept herself sequestered in her bedroom. She'd also blame herself for her mother's death solely BECAUSE she's a vampire, because she would believe that the burden of having to hide her daughter's identity would drive her mother to suicide.


	23. Out of Her Shell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Futaba has revealed herself, Akira makes it a priority to help her come out of her shell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so stressed out right now. I'm absolutely exhausted, and I have a feeling that that's reflected in the way I wrote this chapter. I have this ridiculous school event I have to attend tonight. They're making us march down the aisle and sing some class song that I haven't memorized, and all of the attention is going to be on me, because they're having us march in in pairs of two; one girl and one boy, all from shortest to highest. I'm the shortest girl in my grade, so I'm the first one marching out. Kill me now.  
> (Social anxiety sucks y'all)

Time stood still as the two stared at the girl, tears streaking down her cheeks.

" _Futaba_? Wh-what are you doing here?" Sojiro asked, voice quiet and shaky with disbelief. She ignored his question and looked at Akira, a sad smile on her lips.

"S-see? You and I...we aren't so different." She choked out, trying to hold back the sobs, but to no avail. Tremors wracked her body, and she hunched over as she let out a wail of years of bottled-up anguish and grief.

Instinctively, Akira stepped forward and swept the girl into a tight embrace, her head resting against his shoulder. He rubbed small comforting circles into her back as her tears soaked his shirt. He didn't mind.

After what felt like forever, her cries settled down, and her breathing returned to a moderately normal rate. She pulled back and wiped her nose, letting out a small chuckle.

"Uh, s-sorry about your shirt." She apologized. Akira shrugged.

"It's okay."

The two teens turned as they heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Sojiro stood leaning against the bar, staring wide-eyed at them both.

"I can't believe it..." He let out a breathy gasp. Futaba looked away nervously.

"Um... Should I not have come?" She asked. Sojiro shook his head vehemently.

"No, it's not that _at all_! I'm just... _surprised_ to see you out of the house, is all." The older man brought a hand to wipe the tears gathering there.

Akira knew that he was seeing a side of this man that could only exist due to the love of a family member. The love of his daughter.

Futaba stepped over to give the man a hug of her own.

His arms wound tightly around her figure, as though shielding her from the very weight of the world she carried upon her soul.

 

* * *

  
A few days later, Futaba had stopped by Leblanc. She wanted to become stronger, to overcome her fear of people. Sojiro had her helping out by serving coffee to the few customers. Around noon, she collapsed into one of the booths.

"Ugh, who would've thought that this low-level boss would be so _tough_?" She mumbled under her breath. Akira sat across from her, smiling at her antics. It seemed as though she already trusted him, and Akira felt his heart swell at the thought.

"Oh, it's not so bad. Sojiro makes me help out all the time." Akira could feel hawk eyes on him the moment the words left his mouth.

"Wh- Hey, I do _not_! I only _asked_ you to help." Sojiro grumbled, causing Akira and Futaba both to break out into a lighthearted laughter.

Their joy was cut short by the sound of the front door opening, accompanied the bell's jingle. They all turned to see Ann, a smile on her face, Ryuji and Shiho trailing right behind her.

"Hello!" She waved to Sojiro before turning to Akira with a sour expression. She jabbed her finger into his chest accusingly.

"Are you _too good_ for us now? You haven't answered a single one of my texts." Ann pouted. Akira jumped up, waving his hands in denial.

"No, it's not like that at all! I've just been really tied up with something. _I'm sorry_!" Akira's arms flew about frantically as he attempted to explain himself. Ryuji turned to

Futaba, who had backed up against the wall when the trio entered.

"Oh. Who's this?" He asked. Everyone's heads turned to Futaba. She shrunk back and gave out a little squeak of fear, practically launching herself out of the booth and jumping behind Akira to hide herself.

"Uh... Did I say somethin'?" Ryuji asked, eyes squinted in a mixture of worry and confusion. Akira shook his head.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Here;" Akira gently took Futaba's wrist and tugged her out from behind him, "this is Futaba. She's Boss's daughter." Akira explained. Ann's eyes lit up like fireworks set off in the night sky.

"She's Boss's daughter? Oh my goodness, she's so _cute_!" Ann squealed. Akira pretended not to notice the annoyed glare Shiho burned into the back of the blonde girl's head.

"I never knew Boss had a daughter." Ryuji stated, scratching his head.

"Oh!" Shiho suddenly exclaimed. Everyone looked to her, then followed her gaze. She was staring in surprise at Futaba.

"Your skin is so _pale_ , Futaba-chan! And... _Your eyes_..." Shiho trailed off. Realization dawned on the three friends.

"Woah, don't tell me..." Ryuji started, voice low, "Futaba's a _witch_?"

Akira had to clench his fist to keep from facepalming. Ann smacked him, earning an annoyed ' _hey!_ '. Akira could see from the corner of his eye Futaba clamping a hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the little chuckle she let out at their antics. He smiled.

"Hey, why don't you all head upstairs? I don't need you scaring away my customers anyway..." Sojiro interjected with impeccable timing.

The five nodded and complied, following Akira upstairs into the attic.

As they all sat down, Akira noticed someone who wasn't among the group.

"Oh, by the way, where's Makoto?" Ann flipped her pigtail over her shoulder.

"Not sure. She said she had some business at home to take care of, but she'll be over later."

"Ah, okay." Akira turned to Futaba to finish his earlier statement only to find the girl flopping herself onto Akira's bed, nearly squishing Morgana. Futaba watched curiously as the feline hopped down off the bed with an agitated mewl.

"A cat?" She observed absently.

"Well, anyways, what were you going to say, Akira-kun?" Shiho asked politely.

"Right. Well, the thing is, Futaba is..." Akira began. He wanted to say it as gently as possible.

"I'm a vampire." Futaba stated bluntly, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed. Akira stared dumbfoundedly.

"Whaaat?!" Ann exclaimed, leaning back a bit in shock. Ryuji's eyes widened.

"Wait. If Futaba's a vampire, then doesn't that mean...?" He pointed at the orange-haired girl. She sighed.

"No. Sojiro's not my biological dad." She explained quickly before rolling over and burying her face in the bed.

"Oh..." Shiho trailed off. A sort of sad look took over her eyes, but just as soon as it appeared, it was gone. It was replaced with a more neutral expression. She nodded her head in understanding. Ann brought a hand to her lips as a question crossed her mind.

"How come you look like a vampire, but Akira normally looks like a regular person?" She asked. Akira pushed his glasses up and smirked.

"That's because I use camouflaging spells to mask my appearance. Futaba can't do that because she isn't a very powerful vampire. You see, she's not a purebred; only her father was a vampire. So she has the appearance and urges of a vampire, but she ages the same as a human. I spent almost two hundred years honing my skills, but she's only had about sixteen years." He explained. Futaba sat up, hugging her knees against her chest.

"Doesn't help that I wasn't all that interested. I hated that I was a vampire. I..." Futaba started, voice shaking. Akira crossed the room, sitting down next to Futaba. He brought his hand up and patted the girl's head. Her eyes widened at the contact, but she soon leaned into the touch.  
Ann looked away, face burning. She suddenly felt as though she were witnessing something intimate. Shiho choked back a laugh at her reaction.

 

* * *

  
After his friends left, Akira let out a long sigh. He leaned forward and stood up to make his way to the stairs, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist. He turned to see Futaba sitting there, cheeks heated and eyes sparkling with a question. She opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it closed. Akira smiled fondly. She could be so blunt sometimes, and yet other times she can't even bring herself to ask a simple question. She reminded Akira of a small, fluffy rabbit.

"Go ahead and ask."  
Futaba flinched, as though she weren't expecting him to say anything. She cast her gaze downwards, head tilted far enough that Akira couldn't see what expression she was making.

"...lp me." She murmured, half audible.

"What?" Akira asked. Futaba's head snapped up.

"I want you to help me!" She said again, much louder. Akira was rendered speechless for a long moment. Futaba continued.

"I want you to help me train. So I can be a stronger vampire, like you!"

Akira knew, looking into her eyes which burned with such a determined resolve, that he couldn't turn her down.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't until later that night, while he stared up at the ceiling in a futile effort to fall asleep, that he realized that Makoto never did show up...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof
> 
> What's happened to Mary-Sue - I mean Makoto?


	24. Bloodlust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira, being the useless gay that he is, went far too long without feeding, and now he has to suffer the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for a while. I only have one and a half weeks of school left, and finals are coming up, and I'm so stressed out.  
> I've been writing and rewriting this chapter for the past few days. I wanted to make something good enough to make up for the long absence. I know y'all will like this one, 'cause you've been asking for it since the first few chapters... ;)

_Something was wrong_. Akira tried to open his eyes, but it was as if his eyelids were glued to his face. He found that he couldn't even move his limbs properly; almost as though they were made of lead. After a few long moments of struggling, he finally managed to crack his eyes open.

He kept blinking, attempting to clear the sleep from his eyes so that he could see his surroundings. When his vision finally cleared and his mind was able to properly process what he was seeing, his heart sunk into his feet.

He was inside of a cell that was within some sort of circular room, lined all the way around with identical cells. The center of the room was lit up by a spotlight of sorts, illuminating a single desk. A set of loudspeakers were suspended in air above the desk. The chair behind the desk was turned to face away from him, so he couldn't tell if anyone was sitting there. He attempted to sit up, but felt that he could barely move his leg. Looking down, he could see a chain connected to an iron ball lying on the floor, with another chain connected to his wrist. Frustrated, he forced himself up and made his way to the iron bars of his cell, grabbing them irritably.

"Hey! Who's over there?" He shouted into the room. A short girl with long blonde hair stepped in from the side. He couldn't make our her face; everything was blurry.

"How strange. It seems as though we have an unexpected guest with us." The girl spoke in a soft and quiet tone. The chair at the desk in the center of the room suddenly turned around to face them, giving Akira a look at the person sitting there.

The first thing that Akira noticed was the figure's incredibly long, pointed nose. It extended straight out from his face, and ended in a crooked, rounded tip. Their eyes were odd, too. They were wide open and bloodshot, accentuated by the large bushy brows resting just above them. The hunched-over figure leaned over the desk, clasping his fingers together and opened his mouth to speak.

" ** _Tu vei fi ucis_**." Its voice was deep and hollow, echoing throughout the entire room like a clap of thunder during a quiet night.

" _What..._?" Akira had to take a moment to properly process what he had just heard, but he wasn't even given the chance to, as the deformed figure spoke again, voice becoming much deeper and more bone-chilling.

" ** _Nu puteți să evadați din această soartă. Cel din masca neagra va conduce miza prin inima ta_**." Suddenly, the long-nosed figure's message was _very_ clear to Akira, and he could feel the terror bubbling up in his chest. He shook his head adamantly, not wanting to believe it.

"No! That can't be! There has to be _some_ way to... change this, right?" His voice gradually became less frantic and more unsure. His question was never answered, as he chose that moment to wake up.

 

* * *

  
His dream was a major wake-up call. If his suspicions were correct, the 'Black Mask' his dream was warning him about was Akechi.

He'd been putting it off for too long now. He'd been avoiding having to talk to the brunette in fear of raising suspicions. After all, what if he was wrong? What if the detective wasn't a hunter at all, and he'd just misunderstood him? The only way he could ever find out is by talking to the boy. Unfortunately, that was _not_ going to happen today.

After the initial shock of his dream, he was overcome by a strong wave of nausea. Akira gripped his stomach, groaning in discomfort. He hadn't gone out to properly feed in... Actually, now that he thought about it, when _was_ the last time he fed? He stole a glance over at the clock. 11:32 AM.

With one last pained grunt and a silent apology to Sojiro, he collapsed back onto the bed, mind spiraling back into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

 

* * *

  
Morgana awoke with a start. His nose twitched as his mind told him that something was wrong. He had to drag himself out from underneath Akira's arm, which had splayed itself out over him at some point. He looked up at the teen, only to find an agonized expression painted across his face and sweat rolling in large droplets down his face and soaking his nightshirt.

' _Jeez, now look what you've done! I told you that you needed to stop waiting so long, idiot._ ' The cat shook his head with a sigh. He climbed up onto the boy's chest and nudged his face in an attempt to wake him up. He didn't stir. Not even an annoyed swat. Worried, the cat padded down the attic stairs to get help. If he was lucky, Sojiro might be alone in the cafe right now. He'd probably know what to do!

 

* * *

 

 

"He's a heavy sleeper, isn't he?" A familiar voice echoed in the room, though he couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was because his brain was still hazy, or maybe it was because he was still sleeping. Either way, the conversation unfolding beside him drifted through his subconscious, making its way into his dream.

"Yeah, he's really weak. Can you do something?" A boyish voice responded.

"I suppose I can... It might get a bit _messy_ , though, since he's sleeping." The first voice said. The second voice piped in again, sounding urgent.

"Oh, _please_ be gentle!" The first voice hushed the other. Had Akira been awake, he would have gone pale. Was this _really_ happening? Right in front of him?

" _Be quiet_. You wouldn't want to wake him up, right? _Who_   _knows_ what he might think if he sees what I'm about to do."

Akira shot up, horror etched onto his face. Horror quite quickly morphed into confusion when he did not, in fact, see anything remotely scandalous (like his teenage-equivalent mind had been imagining). Instead, he found himself almost face-to-face with none other than Goro Akechi. The brunette reeled back in shock when Akira sat up. It was only then that he realized that the other had practically been _straddling_ him on the bed.

"W-what were you _doing_?" Akira squeaked, drawing the covers up to his neck, as though he were an innocent maiden left completely exposed. The detective simply looked down at the cat on the floor, who looked equally as surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"Akira? How are you _awake_?" Morgana asked quizzically.

"Uh... What do you mean? Am I not _supposed_ to be awake or something?" Akira asked slowly, eyeing the two suspiciously.

"No, that's not what I meant! It's just, you haven't... _eaten_ for so long, so I figured you'd end up sleeping for a while." Morgana seemed a bit hesitant about something. Akechi sighed and moved so that he was standing over Akira.

"You're probably really hungry, so just hurry up and eat. You'll need the energy anyways." The boy mumbled quietly, turning his head away as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal his wrist. Akira's eyes widened in pure disbelief as he extended his arm towards him to give him access to the smooth, milky white expanse of flesh. With the other so close, he could even make out the scent of his blood. Akira's mouth practically _watered_ at the idea of sinking his fangs into his wrist and drinking up every delicious drop that poured out. Plus, he was literally _offering_ up his wrist to him, how could he say no?

He reached out and gently took the brunette's arm in his hands, bringing his wrist up to his mouth. He quickly bit into the boy's wrist, not surprised at the slight flinch. As his blood trickled over his tongue, he couldn't help the small groan that left his throat. Maybe it was just because he'd gone for too long without feeding, but it tasted _better_ than usual. It wasn't particularly sweet, but it didn't taste bitter or coppery like most humans' blood.

Once his thirst was sated, he pulled his teeth out and lapped at the excess blood that seeped out from the wound, stopping it from bleeding further. He pulled the boy's hand to his chest and looked up to him, crimson pupils blown wide with an almost _feral_ gleam to them.

" _Doamne, ești atât de frumoasă_." Akira purred under his breath. Akechi clearly heard him, and he flushed bright red all the way down to his neck, but said nothing.

Throughout the entire exchange, Morgana was left to gape up at the two. He eventually shook his head in disbelief and turned to leave. This hadn't gone quite how he had planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira: "I'm not dealing with Akechi today."
> 
> Akechi, an intellectual: *literally standing at the bottom of the stairs*  
> "Bish you thought."
> 
>  
> 
> Translations:  
> 'Tu vei fi ucis' - 'You are going to be killed'
> 
> 'Nu puteți să evadați din această soartă. Cel din masca neagra va conduce miza prin inima ta' - 'You cannot escape this fate. The one in the Black Mask will drive the stake through your heart'
> 
> 'Doamne, ești atât de frumoasă' - 'God, you're so beautiful'


	25. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira just wants to crawl into a hole out of embarrassment. Not only has he revealed his true nature to his enemy, but he's also made another... unfortunate accident.  
> Things begin to spiral into a mortifying mess. This definitely can't look right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating at all. I said at the end of the school year that because summer was starting and I was out of school, I'd have more time to write new chapters. Unfortunately, a lot of things kept getting in my way, and it's been a real struggle just to find the motivation to write again.  
> Don't worry, though. I haven't lost interest in writing this story. In fact, this chapter is going to be a bit of a twist, despite how short it is... >:)c

Once Akira was full, he pulled back with a wet pop. Looking up at Akechi, he saw the boy's eyes flutter open dreamily, as though in some sort of trance.

' _Ah, shit,_ ' Akira thought, ' _I must've taken too much blood_.' He felt a bit guilty; he normally never drank so much from a single person. It could have a lot of negative effects on a person if too much blood is drained from their body, namely death. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though he took enough to kill the guy.

"That was intelligent." A snarky reply came from somewhere in the room, though the voice's origin wasn't much of a mystery. Akira turned to the cat.

"I'm sorry, but I was  _starving_. Besides,  _you're_ the one who brought him up here. What the hell were you thinking?" Akira hissed. Morgana sighed."I went downstairs to try to find Boss, but I guess he was out. The only one there was Akechi. Besides, I've figured something out! Akechi isn't a hunter!" Morgana stated, surprising Akira. Akechi... wasn't a hunter? Then...

"...Who the hell  _is_ he?" Akira asked.

"Ask him yourself." Morgana said, tone rather smug. When Akira turned to the brunette, however, he immediately sensed something was off. The boy's eyes looked...  _different_. It was as though the crimson orbs had somehow transitioned into a shade more resembling pink. Akechi stared at him, but by the intense, wordless gaze, it was more as though he weren't really looking  _at_ him, but  _through_ him. He waved a hand in front of the boy's face.

"Akechi? You still there?" Without even so much as batting an eye, Akechi responded, staring directly at Akira with a rather fond smile.

"Of course, Akira-pyon~" With that, Akechi all but launched himself onto the other teen, tackling him backwards onto the bed with his arms in a tight circle around Akira's waist.

Akira blanched. Craning his head to peer at Morgana once more, the cat looked equally as confused.

' _Did he just-_ '

Yes. Yes he did.

 

* * *

 

 

"Akira, what did you  _do_? He's acting like some kind of lovesick puppy!" Morgana reprimanded. Akira did try to free himself from the brunette's iron grip, but it was absolutely useless. Akechi did not appear as though he were prepared to let go anytime soon, either.

"I don't know! Aren't you the one who usually knows these things?" Akira cried out in distress. Through their arguing, they failed to notice the sets of footsteps ascending the stairs. At least until they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Morgana and Akira both jumped, heads snapping back to see who had caught them (Akechi apparently found the view of Akira's nape much more riveting).

"Are we interrupting?" It was Ann. Accompanied by Ryuji, Shiho, and Makoto. Akira's entire face flushed red with embarrassment at the fact that all of his friends had just walked in on what must appear to be something completely inappropriate from an outsider's perspective. Hell, even from  _Akira's_ perspective, this all looked wrong.

"No! This was a complete accident!" Akira practically squeaked, absolutely mortified.

"You sure? 'Cause it looks like you and your...  _friend_... were in the middle of something here. We just came 'cause we heard you weren't feelin' good, but if you're busy..." Ryuji stated, eyes squinted at the scene before him. Makoto covered her suspiciously red face. Morgana, who had been silent up until then, finally burst out his observation.

"It's Charm!" The group all turned to the cat as though he had suddenly grown a third head.

"What do you mean?" Shiho asked. Morgana hopped onto the bed, motioning with his head to the brunette, still latched onto Akira.

"Akechi let Akira feed from him. But something _obviously_ went wrong; as soon as Akira was finished, he just _became_ like this! I think Akira accidentally cast Charm on him."

"Charm? What's that?" Ann asked quizzically.

"It's a type of spell that a vampire can cast on their victim. It might seem kind of unorthodox, but it can be useful in some situations. Obviously, Charm causes the victim to appear to be infatuated with the one who cast the spell." Shiho hummed thoughtfully.

"What other kinds of spells are there?" She asked.

"Good question," Morgana smirks proudly as he begins his explanation, "there are quite a few, actually. There's Paralyze, which causes the victim to fall into an incapacitated state; Dizzy causes the victim to feel sick and disoriented; Silence makes the victim unable to speak; Sleep makes them literally fall asleep; Confusion causes the victim to forget anything within the last three hours; Fear causes them to become stricken with terror and run away; Rage will make them lash out against whoever comes near them; Hunger will make the victim... really hungry; and probably the most darkest of them all, Despair. Despair will cause the victim to fall into a state of constant despair, and eventually, they'll take their own life."

Everyone stared at Morgana. Shiho visibly flinched at the mention of the last spell.

"Is there any way to fix the spell?" Makoto asked. Akira sighed.

"Yeah, they'll wear off eventually. Depending on the effectiveness of the spell, it could last anywhere from an hour to an entire day." He answered, his expression downcast.

"An entire  _day_?! Isn't there any other way to stop it?" Ann asked incredulously. Morgana shook his head.

"Nope. Unfortunately, there aren't any ways to reverse these kinds of spells. Basically, Akira's just gonna have to deal with Handsy here until his spell eventually wears off..."

Akira groaned, head falling back onto the pillow. This was going to be a  _very_ long day, he could already tell...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. Bet you didn't see that coming... Status effects are spells here.  
> I actually find it really fun to try and incorporate elements of the game into this AU.
> 
> I'll do my best to continue writing chapters a bit more frequently.


	26. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his friends left, Akira couldn't help but recall the conversation he'd had before they showed up. The question he had asked went unanswered due to his friends' unexpected appearance, and it had completely slipped his mind up until this very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might as well be a tradition to just update super late. I'm really sorry; though I'm sure that must get really old. Still, I apologize. Also, I realized I haven't been putting the link to my Tumblr and Twitter, so there's that, too. I'll put the links in the note at the end of the chapter after a quick* little message.
> 
> *Note: The message may not be quick or little.
> 
> Also, this chapter is going to be extraordinarily short by my standards, but I promise, this will answer so many of your questions! I know you've all been waiting for this.

The night finally began to wind down as each of his friends dispersed to head back to their respective homes. Akira sighed and glanced over at the bed; Akechi lay face-down in the pillows, having apparently worn himself out. Hopefully when he woke up, the spell would have worn off. It was, unexpectedly, really stressful dealing with an exceptionally clingy Akechi. It was hard enough just keeping his composure when the brunette just kept  _touching_ him. Something about it made his face burn; maybe it was the fact that he'd never truly been touched that way. Akira paused, train of thought crashing to a halt as something crossed his mind. Now that everything was quiet, with no distractions to tear his mind from the subject, he couldn't help but recall his earlier conversation with Morgana before his friends' rather unexpected arrival.

' _He was about to tell me something really important!_ ' Akira grimaced to himself, biting his lower lip and wincing not at the pain, but at the fact that he had let such a thing slip his mind up until then. Why was he always so stupid?

"Hey, Morgana." Akira turned to face the cat, only to stop short when he noticed that he wasn't there. Confused, he glanced around the room, eyes darting back and forth in an attempt to locate the feline. He could have sworn Morgana had been sitting on the table by the staircase as everyone left. Before he had the chance to become worried, a voice echoed from the bottom of the stairs.

"Akira, down here. We have to talk." The cat motioned for him with his paw, eyes fixed on Akira. Shrugging, Akira complied, descending the stairs to meet the cat.

"Okay, but why are we talking down here?" Akira asked. Morgana eyed the stairs briefly before motioning towards them with his head.

"Because," he whisper-shouted, "I don't want  _him_ to hear us." Morgana's whole expression changed then, now seeming very serious.

"You were going to tell me what he is, right? You figured it out?" Akira asked, pointedly keeping his voice low. Morgana nodded.

"Yeah. You're not gonna like it, though..." He trailed off, looking away. Akira spluttered, leaning towards the cat.

"What do you mean? I thought you said he _wasn't_ a hunter!" Akira cried, voice cracking. Morgana simply sighed.

" _Yeah_ , and he  _isn't_." Morgana stated simply.

"Then what is he?" Morgana glared at the raven-haired teen.

"I was getting to that! Like I was saying, he isn't a hunter. Remember when I rushed downstairs earlier looking for Boss, and I found Akechi?" Akira nodded, prompting the feline to continue.

"Well, he was sitting at the bar. I was super quiet, and yet he _still_ heard me coming! When he looked at me, though... I knew it right away! He's a _Lycanthrope_!"

After Morgana's grand reveal, the room fell into silence. Akira stared dumbly at him, as though he hadn't even heard him.

"You've got to be kidding me. There is absolutely no way that  _the_ Goro Akechi is one of those mangy  _mutts_." Akira replied dryly.

"But it's  _true_! I  _saw_ it!" Morgana cried out, jumping up onto the table to rest his paws on Akira's chest.

"I could see it in his eyes! They weren't... They weren't  _human_ , Akira! I knew, without a doubt, that he  _had_ to be one." Akira sighed heavily, dragging a hand down over his face as his mind struggled to catch up. Was is really possible? Was Akechi, the famous Detective Prince, a  _werewolf_? How was that even possible?

As he continued to think about it, things started to click into place. Werewolves have a number of superhuman advantages; a heightened sense of smell, stronger hearing, super speed, and shape-shifting. And that's only naming the  _relevant_ ones! If this were true, then the reasons why Akechi had been able to know Akira's identity and hadn't been affected by his Third Eye made much more sense. As a werewolf, he would have been able to tell right away just from Akira's scent that he was an undead, and likely could have pieced the rest together on his own. Not to mention the fact that some werewolves seemed to show a sort of immunity to some spells cast by witches and vampires. With a sigh, Akira slowly shook his head.

"You better be right about this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is just a little update. My parents have been hounding me recently, saying that I should stop 'giving my writing away for free', and start actually publishing stories on my own. While I agree, writing fanfiction isn't exactly a career, I don't even write fanfiction because I think of it as a career.  
> I've known since I was little that I've had some talent in reading and writing, and I always loved it. I loved when something I wrote could elicit real emotions from people. Writing is more like a spirit hobby, if that makes any sense. And yes, while I do plan to become a true novelist, one of the biggest reasons I write fanfiction instead right now is so that I can fully develop my writing style. Each writer has their own writing style that is unique to them, similar to how each artist has their own unique art style. My writing style is still very rough around the edges, and I don't feel confident enough yet to truly publish a work and actually feel proud of it. That's why I plan to take the next year or two to continue writing for you all like this, in the hopes that one day I can write an original novel, and have the satisfaction of seeing it on bookshelves, and see people truly enjoy it and have it resonate with them.  
> I urge you to do what makes you happy. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I love, and you should all be able to feel that way too.  
> If you have any questions for me, comments, or just want to chat with me, you can reach out to me on Tumblr and Twitter under 'That One Nerdy Writer'.


	27. Unfamiliar Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro wakes up the next morning with absolutely no recollection of his actions the night before. He feels as though he's breached onto unfamiliar territory (as does Akira).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday was my first day back to school. Actually, it was my last first day; I'm finally a senior! (≧∇≦)/ ✦  
> And wouldn't you know it - the period right before my lunch is a study hall, and the first thing I did was whip out my notebook and start writing the draft for this chapter. I guess I really do work better at school. Anyways, summer vacation is over, so hopefully I'll get back to updating chapters more frequently.
> 
> Anyways, you guys get to have almost an entire chapter from Goro's 'perspective', so there's a first!  
> Also, did'ja get the joke with the chapter title? Unfamiliar territory? 'Cause Goro's a werewolf... ^_^'
> 
> Edit: Actually, I'm working as a library aide for that period now. I really need those community service hours! Plus, at least I get to work with what I love.
> 
> TW: Mentions of self-harm and abuse

When Akira returned to the attic, it was almost one o'clock in the morning. He found the  _one and only_ Goro Akechi, second coming of the Detective Prince, in a decidedly hilarious state; coat tossed across the room and his undershirt hanging off the bed underneath him as he lay face-down in the pillows, snoring loudly. Akira rolled his eyes and bit back a chuckle.  _How_ _unprofessional_. If any of his fangirls were to see him in such an undignified state, they'd surely faint out of pure horror.

Akira moved across the room to the bed and gently shook the teen awake. Goro let out a sleepy huff and rolled over, almost immediately falling back asleep. Akira reached out in an attempt to try and wake him up again, but paused as his gaze landed on the marks littered all across the teen's smooth, pale skin. Dark bruises, angry red scars and cuts, and even burns were spread out all over his arms and torso. Akira lightly feathered a hand over one of the cuts, but jerked his arm back when Goro's face twisted in discomfort.

" _Jesus_..." Akira whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. While many of the wounds appeared to have been caused by someone else (as horrible as that was, even on its own), some of them, cuts scattered along the insides of his arms, were just too  _symmetrical_ to have been a mere coincidence. No, these kinds of scars Akira knew all too well, still having some faded ones of his own. These were self-inflicted. Feeling as though he had just swallowed a fistful of stones, Akira pulled the sheets up over Goro. It was going to be cold tonight.

 

* * *

 

 

When Goro awoke the next morning, he lazily rolled over, yawning and allowing his eyes to fully open. He stretched; was his bed always this  _comfortable_? Normally he would wake up with an incredibly sore back because the bed in his little apartment was just so  _stiff_. Goro paused and sat up in bed to take in his surroundings, eyes blinking rapidly to clear the last remnants of sleep. His heart raced with the (eventual) realization that  _this was not his room_. Actually, this wasn't even his apartment. A sudden cold draft blew through the room, making Goro shiver. It was only then that he looked down and noticed his own shirtless body. Flushing, he threw his legs over the side of the bed, head looking all over for his shirt. He noticed his coat in a heap on the floor, and when he stood up, he found he'd been sleeping on top of his shirt.

'How in the hell did that happen? I don't even remember coming here last night.' Goro let out a breath of frustration as he attempted to recall the previous night's encounters, but found that he simply couldn't. All he could remember was leaving work; everything beyond that was shrouded in a thick fog. Goro snatched his coat off the floor and wrapped it over his shirt, hiding his shame. With a final huff of annoyance, he marched downstairs to face who, he decided must be, his kidnapper.

 

* * *

 

 

To his surprise, the moment his feet landed on the bottom floor, the entire atmosphere shifted. He was in LeBlanc, the small coffee shop where a certain delinquent was housed. He heard a soft humming from around the corner. Stepping past the bathroom, he found Kurusu behind the counter, humming quietly to himself as he flipped something on the stove top. He was almost reminiscent of a housewife, with an apron tied around his waist as he happily baked something for his loving partner. Goro shook the thought away and approached the counter.

"Ah, good morning." Goro greeted, feeling a bit out of sorts. Kurusu whipped around upon hearing his voice. He beamed at Goro and lifted the spatula in his hand as though to wave at him.

"Good morning, Akechi. Did you sleep well?" Kurusu asked.

"About that... How did I get here last night? I can't seem to recall." Goro sat down at the bar, staring up at the dark-haired teen.

"Ah, you don't remember, huh?" Kurusu chuckled, and Goro resisted the urge to hit him.

' _Obviously I don't remember, you idiot; otherwise, I wouldn't have asked!_ ' Goro thought.

"Well, you actually came here yourself. You were so drunk, I was worried that you'd end up passed out in an alley somewhere if I let you go back by yourself, so I just let you crash upstairs for the night." Kurusu explained, turning back to the stove to flip whatever he was cooking. Goro flushed in embarrassment. He'd been drunk?

"O-oh. I see... Well, thank you." He stammered out.

The scent of what Kurusu was cooking reached Goro, and his mouth practically watered. Was he-? Kurusu loaded up a plate and placed it in front of Goro with a bright smile.

"I made pancakes. Would you like something for them?" Kurusu asked.

Something panged inside Goro's chest. What was this? Goro was supposed to  _hate_ this person, and yet...

 

This didn't feel like hatred. It didn't feel like that at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...  
> I just can't get enough of a flustered Goro. Both of these boys are so precious. And yes, I intentionally switched to using 'Goro' instead of 'Akechi' and 'Kurusu' instead of 'Akira' in the latter half of the chapter. This is to reflect how Akechi views himself and how he views Akira. For the moment. ;)


End file.
